Yu-Gi-Oh! Battle Force!
by Marcus Cersy. AKA Ion Gree
Summary: All he wanted was to be a duellist and enter the pro leagues. Now he's got to deal with a giant red dragon and a five-thousand year old war, all while protecting those he cares about. Follow Marcus Cersy as he joins the Signers in their adventures, no matter what they might be.
1. Chapter 1: It Begins!

**Hello! Welcome one and all to a brand new story I have got planned! To my returning readers, this is completely different to my usual works, mainly, this is not Sword Art Online! Also, you'll notice some familiar names as the main cast of this fic. Sue me, I've grown attached to the names that I've been writing about for a long time already!**

 **To the new readers, I hope I absorb your eyes long enough to grab your interest!**

 **Onto the story itself. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a franchise I've been trying to get into writing about for a long time, longer than SAO even! As a kid, I _LOVED_ the 5Ds series! I already loved the idea of deadly card games, but we got deadly card games on motorcycles! I play locally at a club in South West England, and always have fun, whether I'm winning or losing (Losing more than winning, lol).**

 **One thing to be sure of is that I will not be making any original cards! Every card you see here, as well as the YGO 5Ds series are property of Konami and 4Kids. I only own my OCs!**

* * *

 **Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds Battle Forces!**

 **Chapter 1: It Begins!**

 **Title Song: Hyperdrive - Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds opening (By Cass Dillon)**

* * *

"Come on Emma! We'll be late for school!" These words were called through the small apartment before a raven-haired, green-eyed young girl, aged thirteen, came through from the other room, wheeling herself along in a wheelchair, she was dressed in a red blazer over a white shirt and pleated school skirt, a pair of black leggings and shoes, a brown backpack was in her lap. She looked up to her brother, who smiled, he had the same hair colour as her, and his eyes were a bright blue. "All set?" He asked, he was wearing a blue blazer, white shirt, black pants and boots. Both their outfits had 'DA' on a breast pocket, which was the logo of the school they went to.

"Yep, got my deck, my books and my wits," Emma replied. "Let's get going, we don't want to have to explain to the Chancellor why we were late again."

Her brother smiled, "Come on then," He chuckled, taking her wheelchair's handles and pushing her out the door, locking it behind him. The two would head down the road to where a bus would take them to school.

Marcus and Emma Cersy lived in a small, three room apartment not far from Neo Domino City's Duel Academy. The two had told their parents that they wanted to learn to be duellists at one of the best schools in Japan, so they had moved here and rented out this flat.

* * *

Neo Domino City was one of the most advanced cities in the world. It was a Utopia which had been built near the old Domino City, but an incident that happened a long time ago caused the land to split between the old and the new. Those who were fortunate to be on the new side continue to live in luxury. But the old side, called the Satellite, was all slums, factories and manufacturing plants, and those who lived on that side of the water were all forced to work in hard labour.

* * *

Duel Academy was a huge campus, with lots of buildings filled with classrooms and large gymnasiums for both physical sport and for duels. Marcus, at the age of nineteen, was in his second year of the College Grades while Emma, being thirteen, was in the eighth grade of middle school.

Getting off the bus, the two stood around, waiting for Emma's classmate to show up and take her to the middle school building. "Where is she…?" Marcus asked.

"Patty!" Emma waved to a dark-skinned girl with fair blonde hair, who ran over. This was Emma's friend and classmate, and they often went out together when not at school with many of their other colleagues.

"I can take her from here Marcus," She said, taking Emma's wheelchair handles.

"Ok, I'll see you later then," Marcus nodded, grabbing his backpack and heading off to the college building.

* * *

Duel Academy was a great place to learn about Duel Monsters, in the classrooms, they taught about the different card types, gave end games to solve and even gave scenarios that made the students think about how they might get over the opponent. However, everyone's favourite subject, no matter what grade they were in, was Duel P.E, where you would duel opponents from your class, or sometimes from others, whether in the same grade or not.

"Ok everyone, it's time for Duel P.E," Marcus' teacher, Doctor Marina Crowler, was a kind woman with blonde hair. She often gave her students advice when they needed it, whether it was life advice or duelling advice. "I need you all to pair up, one boy to a girl, use whatever you want for your deck, as long as it doesn't contain anything on the current banlist."

Marcus leaned against the wall, when it came to this, he liked waiting for there to be only a couple of stragglers, then would choose from the remainder. His eyes spotted three candidates, two of which he knew what they played.

The first was Sora Takenouchi, she used a Blackwing Deck, including the popular Synchro Monster Blackwing Armor Master. _No, her deck is annoying_.

The second was an ex of his, Rika Nonaka, who ran a Zombie deck, featuring a particular card that he hated, Zombie World. _I am not facing that card ever again. No way._

The last one was Kari Kamiya, she was a newcomer to his class, and he had no idea what type of deck she ran. But whatever it was probably was better than the other two options.

Decided, he walked over, "Hey, Kari, you need a partner too?" He asked.

She jumped lightly, since he had approached from behind. "Sure!" She smirked. "About time someone took you down."

"It won't happen," Marcus shot back.

Doctor Crowler smiled, "Alright, if everyone has a partner? Four pairs at a time, Marcus, you and Kari take the closest to us," She said.

Marcus and Kari nodded, putting on their duel disks and sliding in their decks.

"Let's DUEL!" They both called.

* * *

 **M: 4000  
K: 4000**

* * *

"Chivalry will never die, Ladies first!" Marcus smiled to her, causing her to grin.

"You're going to regret that! I draw! I'll start by playing the Field Spell Sanctuary in the Sky! From now on, battles involving Fairy Type monsters reduce all battle damage to zero!"

As she spoke, slipping the card into the correct slot, a magnificent, angelic castle appeared around them. She took another card from her hand, "Next up is the Continuous Spell, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen! With this, I can special summon one level 4 or lower Fairy type monster from my hand!" A large red gate appeared behind her, and as she moved, the gate began to open, "So, I summon Shining Angel!"

A tall man with tan skin and white wings flew out of the gate and landed in front of her, settling in a defensive stance. (Lvl 4 1400/800). "I end my turn with a face-down."

Marcus smiled, "Not bad, nice spells, a monster with search power and a face-down, my move! Draw!" He looked at his hand, frowning slightly. I don't have a way to get over her Sanctuary and Angel combo, at least, not with these… wait….

"I activate a spell, Dragon Shrine! The effect is this, I can send one dragon type monster from my deck to the grave, and if that monster is a normal type, I can send another. So, by sending Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the grave, I can also send Arkbrave Dragon! Next, time for some offense, I summon Eclipse Wyvern to the field!" A mix of a black and white dragon appeared, on one side, there were red vein-like lines, and on the other, there were blue. (Lvl 4 1600/1000).

"I set two face-downs and end my turn," Marcus said, making said play and passing his turn.

Kari drew, "Back to me-!"

"Hold it Kari! Before you move on, let me show you what Dragon Shrine was for! I activate the ability of Arkbrave Dragon from the graveyard!" Marcus interrupted. "Since he was put there last turn, I can activate this ability which allows me to summon one level 7 or 8 dragon-type monster from my grave, bar from itself!"

Kari had a strong feeling she knew what was coming, "You mean…!" She began.

"Oh yes! Pride and Soul of a legendary duellist. Appear! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Everyone knew the dragon that suddenly appeared behind Marcus, why wouldn't they? White scales shone as the large creature landed, it's blue eyes glowing brightly (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

Kari nervously looked up at the famous dragon, then glanced at her card and smirked, "I summon The Agent of Creation: Venus!" A woman in red with matching wings appeared next to her Angel (Lvl 3 1600/0). "I activate her effect, by paying 500 life points, I can summon a Mystical Shine Ball!"

* * *

 **K: 3500**

* * *

As her LP fell, a glowing crystal ball appeared next to Venus, energy crackling freely around it (Lvl 2 500/500). "I activate the effect again!"

* * *

 **K: 3000**

* * *

As the second ball appeared, Kari was already in motion, "I activate the spell known as Lightwave Tuning! With this, I can select a level four LIGHT attribute monster on my field and treat it as a tuner monster!" She said, and looked to Shining Angel.

"So Shining Angel will now tune with the two Mystical Shine Balls!" Shining Angel sprang up, turning into a set of four green rings which the Shine Balls flew through, the stars representing their level leaving them and a green pillar of light shone down.

"Holy Knight of the Heavens above, shine your light down and vanquish the forces against you! Synchro Summon! Fly on! Avenging Knight Parshath!" Kari chanted.

The light faded, revealing a beautiful angelic Centaur/Pegasus hybrid, armed with a large sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Two large wings in blue and gold armor stretched out from his equine body while two smaller ones flexed from his humanoid back (Lvl 8 2600/2100)

Marcus whistled at the monster appreciatively, "Now that was a move," He chuckled.

"Wait until you see his effect! Once a turn, I can target one monster you control and change it's battle position, Blue-Eyes, take a knee!" Kari pointed to Marcus' larger dragon, which bent to the will of the effect, curling his wings up around him.

"Time for battle! Avenging Knight Parshath attacks Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Her Pegasus centaur charged across the field, "And just so you know, when he attacks a monster in defence mode, the difference between his attack and their defence is dealt to you as damage!"

* * *

 **M: 3900**

* * *

Kari gave a smirk, "So much for the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" She taunted.

"Oh don't worry, I have many ways to return the favor," Marcus replied, enigmatically.

"Well, I end my turn there," Kari said.

Marcus assessed the situation, _ok, I have_ _Eclipse_ _Wyvern on my field, while she has this powerful looking synchro, backed by Sanctuary in the Sky, I have the more attack points, but that face-down is obviously a gamechanger…_ He looked at his hand, _I don't have much left, my face-down is Call of the Haunted, but I don't want to use it until I know of my win. There's one card in my deck that can help me now, it's time to draw it._

"I… DRAW!" He yelled, and cracked a smirk. "It's over! I activate my spell, Foolish Burial! This card lets me put one monster card from my deck into the grave," He said. "Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, to the grave you go, but not for long, for I activate the Call of the Haunted trap card!"

"Mighty dragon who rules the skies above, Shine your holy light and make your foes tremble! Revival Summon! Descend! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" He chanted, as a pillar of light appeared behind him, and an earth-shaking roar bellowed around the gym. When the light faded, in it's place was a massive dragon, the same size as Blue-Eyes.

It had gleaming golden scales from the top of it's head to it's tail, and white scales on it's underbelly. Two humungous black wings with golden folds. (Lvl 8 2800/2800)

"Now for his effect!" Marcus smirked, chuckling at Kari's nervous expression. "When my mighty dragon lord is summoned from the graveyard, I can target one monster on your field and in your graveyard and banish it!" He said, then pointed at Avenging Knight Parshath. "Begone!" He smirked, Felgrand let out a roar, his scales lighting up before Avenging Knight Parshath just vanished. "Then he gains attack and defence, equal to the level of your monster multiplied by 100!" (3800/3800).

"Battle! First, Eclipse Wyvern, tear apart her Agent!" His black and white dragon flew forward, slashing through Kari's monster with his claws, Kari gave a yell as her lifepoints fell.

* * *

 **K: 2600**

* * *

"Now my Lord Felgrand, attack her directly! Holy Shining Burst!" Marcus commanded. The golden dragon roared, rearing his head back before letting out a golden laser that slammed into Kari, who screamed as the attack enveloped her, ending the duel.

* * *

 **K: 0**

* * *

Marcus chuckled, walking over to Kari, who had fallen onto her butt. "Man, that was a good duel," She sighed, accepting Marcus' hand, who pulled her to her feet.

"What was your face-down? If you didn't activate it, I assume it wouldn't stop me," Marcus asked. Kari took the card out and showed him. It was the trap card Beckoning Light.

"It was useless in the end, lucky draw Marc," Kari punched him lightly on the arm.

"Next time?" Marcus offered.

"Maybe," She smirked.

* * *

"Look Director, the boy's skilled, but I see no reason why he'd attract the attention of Neo Domino's Public Security Bureau," Chancellor Eito Shibuya addressed his guest.

"Chancellor, it's just speculation right now, it's just that this dragon is a very rare card," Director Rex Goodwin said, pointing to Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand. "In fact, I haven't seen this card for just over ten years."

"Felgrand's his ace monster, and that's before you look at his extra deck," Shibuya said.

"Does anything stand out in this extra deck?" Goodwin asked.

"Nothing that jumps out at you, he uses Synchro Monsters from level 8 up to level 10," Eito shrugged. "Look, director, you're a good man, you've helped Duel Academy grow hugely since you entered the office, but this is my school. Why are you so interested in one of my students?"

"That's all it is though, interest. I like aspiring duellists who are able to hold their own," Goodwin told him. "I won't take any more of your time, Chancellor. Good day."

Eito watched him leave with an uneasy look, and when the door shut, he frowned. _What is it that Goodwin finds so interesting about you? I promise that I'll keep an eye on him._ He said, taking out a file that showed Marcus and Emma's photographs. _For both of you._

* * *

 **Marcus: So, what do you think?  
**

 **Emma: We'll have to see what the readers think.**

 **Marcus: True. This idea began when I was playing the very fun game, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of a New Era! It was there that I came up with the first couple of decks that would make appearances in this fiction.**

 **Emma: Fun fact for you guys, the deck Marcus used here was actually a Synchro variant of his main deck IRL.**

 **Marcus: Oh! That's right! Gold Star to whoever recognises the names that appear in this chapter!**

 **Emma: Uh Marc? The Signers are trying to get in!**

 **Marcus: Oh for the love of...! Ok. See you next chapter!**

 **Both: Next time: A Hero Rises!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Hero Rises!

**I love this chapter so much! Maybe it's because I love Emma's deck. Anyhoo, not much to say really.**

 **I only own my OCs, YuGiOh! belongs to Konami!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Hero Rises!**

 **Title Song: Heroes ((We Could Be) Nightcore) - (Alesso (feat. Tove Lo))**

* * *

"No way! You have such good cards Emma! Where'd you get them?!" Patty asked.

"Just gathered over time, I've worked really hard to get this deck right," Emma shrugged.

"Really? I've never even seen this guy before," Bob, another of Emma's friends, said, pointing to one of her cards.

"Yeah, where'd you get him? He's such a famous card!" Dexter nodded.

"My dad sent that to me for my birthday last week, I've kept it hidden because of people like Ryo," Emma said.

It was lunch break and Emma and her friends were sat outside on campus, sitting in the shade and showing each other their cards. When Emma showed hers, all her friends appeared jealous at what she had.

Dexter flinched, "Speaking of, act casual!" He hissed.

Emma quickly pulled her cards into a stack, then covered the pile with her textbook, just as a brown-haired boy, looking the same age, walked over.

"What're you losers doing over here?" The boy asked. "Being all mushy friendly I bet. Pathetic"

"Leave us alone Ryo, at least we _have_ friends!" Emma looked up at him.

"Bold words for a cripple," Sly scoffed. "I bet you're faking all that just to get lots of attention from the staff."

"Ryo! You know Emma was caught in that accident!" Patty frowned.

"Where's the proof?" Ryo asked. He grabbed Emma by her shoulder. "Come on, let's see you stand!" He chuckled, pulling her to her feet. As she was pulled up, her foot brushed against her text book, scattering her cards.

Emma gave a yelp of pain as her broken bones were moved wrong, and that her weight was now on them. Bob and Dexter stood up, "Hey! Put her down!" Bob growled.

"Yeah! You're hurting her!" Dexter scowled.

"Excuse me. You mind releasing the girl before I break you?" A voice, carrying a strong british accent, spoke up, coming closer.

Everyone gasped at the voice, and Patty, Dexter and Bob all pointed with shock at the man who was now standing behind Ryo. He had tall spiky blonde hair, wearing a white trench coat lined with purple with spiked shoulders over a white plunging shirt, grey pants and white boots. Around his neck was a large pendant with the letter 'A' on it.

Emma finally got a look at her saviour and squealed with joy. "Oh my god! It's Jack Atlas!" She gasped.

Jack Atlas pushed Ryo away with one hand, before he quickly grabbed Emma and picked her up, bridal style. "Are you alright miss?" He asked.

"A little pain in my legs of course, but I'll recover," Emma admitted, a vibrant red blush upon her face as she was held in the King of Turbo Duels' arms. "Um, Mr Atlas, what are you doing here?" She asked, as Jack returned her to her wheelchair.

"I was coming here under the request of your chancellor, he requested that I come in and teach some classes about power decks. I spotted your problem and saw I was the closest person," Jack said. "As a gentleman, I knew I had to do something to help you out."

He then turned to the shell-shocked Ryo. "You. What were you thinking, taking a maiden out of her comfort zone, man-handling her, and causing her pain?"

"Mr Atlas, let me handle this," Emma said, wheeling around her chair to look at Ryo in the eyes.

"Duel me."

Ryo paused, then laughed, "Seriously?! You are a glutton for punishment!" He said.

"Seriously, you win, you can leave this scenario with no questions asked. I win, you write a formal apology and never come near me and my friends again," Emma said.

Jack seemed intrigued. "That sounds like a splendid idea, settle this with a good old-fashioned duel," he said.

Ryo pulled his duel disk off his backpack, "Sounds like a deal," he smirked.

Emma pressed a button on her wheelchair arm, and a board unfolded from the arms, snapping into place in front of her stomach. She took her deck from a box on her left chair arm, and pulled out a deck, putting it on a square.

Jack was impressed, "Your wheelchair has a built-in duel field?" He asked. "Who made that?"

"My mother did, when she heard of my injury, she came to Neo Domino to build it herself," Emma told him. She turned to Bob, "Could you get that card you saw earlier? I think it's time I showed Ryo my secret weapon."

Bob nodded, sifting through her cards until he found it, and handed it to her.

"Thanks," She smiled. Patty, Bob, Dexter and Jack walked around to where they could see the full field.

"Let's DUEL!"

* * *

 **E: 4000  
R: 4000**

* * *

"Ladies first! Draw!" Emma said, pulling her card from her deck. "I'll start small. I set one monster face-down!" She said, a blank card appeared face down, sideways in front of her. "Then I set two face-downs and end my turn!"

"Pathetic," Ryo sneered, "Draw!" He gave a very faint frown, but it vanished instantly. "I summon Evil HERO Infernal Gainer!" A large, black and red armoured humanoid shaped skeleton appeared before him, on it's head was a helmet with horns, and more came from his shoulders and arms. (Lvl 4 1600/0).

"And then I activate the spell, Gold Sarcophagus! This allows me to remove one card in my deck from play, but it's added to my hand in two turns." A golden coffin with the Millennium Eye appeared next to him. "So see you in two turns, Dark Fusion!" A card disappeared into the coffin, and it vanished.

"Now for battle! Infernal Gainer! Attack her face-down!" Ryo smirked. His fiendish monster threw dark lightning at the face-down, flipping up and revealing it to be Elemental HERO Shadow Mist. A woman wearing black armour and cloth trailing down from her belt in front and behind, and ice blue hair protruded from her helmet. (Lvl 4 1000/1500).

As it shattered, Emma smirked, "You just set the stage for your demise! I activate my two face-downs, HERO Signal!" Her face-downs flipped up, and a beam of light shot up to the sky, leaving a black 'H', "And by sending Shadow Mist to the grave, you triggered her ability as well! First is her effect, when she is sent to the graveyard, I can add one HERO monster to my hand. Next is HERO Signal! When you destroy a monster by battle and send it to the grave, I can summon one level 4 or lower Elemental HERO from my deck!"

"So, I add Elemental HERO Bubbleman to my hand, and come out to play, Elemental HEROs Avian and Sparkman!" Emma called. First, a green coloured man with a pair of white wings appeared, followed by another man in yellow and blue armour. (A: Lvl 3 1000/1000 S: Lvl 4 1600/1400).

Jack couldn't help but see the irony of this duel, it was light against dark, Elemental HEROs against their Evil counterparts. He also found himself smirking at Emma's play. Patty was first to notice. "Mr Atlas? What's so amusing?" She asked.

"Your friend has just set the stage perfectly, now, if she has the card I think she does, then it's over for that punk," Jack explained.

"Tsk. So you expanded your field, so what?" He shrugged, "I end my turn with one face-down."

Emma put her fingers on her deck, _I want to make him pay, and I want to make it look spectacular in front of Jack Atlas. If I want that, I need to draw one card from my deck._ With that, she drew her card in silence.

Jack's eyes noticed it first, "was that a smile from Emma?" Bob asked.

"It's over!" Emma laughed. "I activate the spell, Polymerisation! Now, I fuse Sparkman, Bubbleman and Avian together!" She called out. Sparkman, Avian, and a third man, wearing blue and white armour all leapt up into a swirling vortex.

"Heroes of Lightning, Wind and Water, combine your powers to create a master of the elements! Fusion Summon! Become the storm! Elemental HERO Tempest!" The creation that emerged from the vortex was a man with Avian's wings, Sparkman's armour and Bubbleman's helmet and a large looking weapon on his right arm. (Lvl 8 2800/2800).

"But I'm not done yet! I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!" A pale skinned woman in a tight red bodysuit and a gold helmet appeared next to Tempest. "Finally, I activate the spell, Miracle Fusion!" Emma smirked, playing the card. "Now, by taking the monsters required for a fusion monster and removing it's materials from my field and/or graveyard from the duel, I can bring the fusion monster out! So, Avian and Burstinatrix, farewell to you both!" Emma called out.

"Another fusion monster?" Jack muttered, having not predicted this far.

"Heroine of Flame, merge your power with the Hero of the Wind and pave the way for a new warrior! Fusion Summon! Rise from the ashes! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" This time, a monster with green skin, a white wing of Avian, a large red dragon head on one arm and a long lashing red tail behind him. (Lvl 6 2100/1200).

"Before I move into the battle phase, I set one face-down. Battle! First Flame Wingman will attack your Infernal Gainer with Skydive Scorcher!" Emma said. Her monster leapt into the air, before descending rapidly on Ryo's monster, engulfing it in a fireball from the dragon arm.

"I activate my face-down spell, Rush Recklessly! Infernal Gainer gains 700 attack points! If he's going down, he's taking your monster with him!" Ryo's card flipped up, and red energy poured into his monster.

"Sorry, I kind of like Flame Wingman, so I'll activate Tempest's special ability! By sending one card I control to the grave, I can make one monster I control indestructable by battle!" Emma shook her head. Her face-down vanished, and turned into golden light that showered down on Flame Wingman, which then overpowered Evil HERO Infernal Gainer, destroying it.

"Oh, and when Flame Wingman destroys a monster and sends it to the graveyard, the attack of that monster is dealt to you as damage!" Emma added.

Ryo grit his teeth as Flame Wingman shot a fireball at him.

* * *

 **R: 2400  
**

* * *

"And now Elemental HERO Tempest attacks you directly to end the duel!" Emma directed. "Attack with Elemental Cannon!" Tempest aimed his arm cannon, before a blue beam smashed into Ryo, and ending his lifepoints.

* * *

 **R: 0**

* * *

The holograms faded, and Emma smirked, "That would-be game," She said, pointing at Ryo with two fingers.

Jack closed his eyes, _She's good,_ he thought. _Maybe I should try duelling her one day, see how she handles my Red Dragon Archfiend._ Out loud, he smiled, "Excellent duelling girl, you were ahead by three steps from the very beginning, that's a good sign of a composed duellist. However, If I may offer a suggestion. Don't summon powerful monsters without thinking of the aftermath. He could have had Tragoedia, or Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness in his hand, waiting for you to strike."

"Hmm… good point, he could have had a face-down, which could be something like Mirror Force or even the basic Negate Attack," Emma nodded. Ryo then approached.

"Young man, I assume you were dealt a bad hand if that was all you could do," Jack said, turning to face the boy. "But that's how life can work sometimes, so you have to face the terms of defeat. I believe you owe her a written apology. Then you will never bother her or her friends ever again."

Ryo nodded, he turned to Emma, "I admit, you played me like a fiddle," He said. "Doesn't help that I had this for my hand." He showed her his hand, revealing he had Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Sparkman and Clayman.

"Ouch, you needed a spell or at least a trap," Emma said.

"A deal's a deal, expect that apology tomorrow morning," He said, holding out his hand.

"Good duel Ryo. Maybe we can have another duel someday," Emma said, accepting the handshake.

 _My work here is done, I'd better get going before I'm missed,_ Jack smirked.

"Hey Jack, can I duel you next- huh!?" Emma turned, seeing the tall blonde missing.

"Where'd he go?" Asked Dexter.

"Too right where'd he go!? I never got his autograph!" Emma fumed.

"It's ok, we can cry about it together another time," Patty nodded, it clear and evident that she was experiencing the pain of having missed out on a signature as well.

* * *

The end of the day for Marcus was at four thirty, and he walked back to the main entrance, he spotted Emma and Patty waiting by the bus stop.

"Hey kiddo, how was your day?" He asked, putting a hand on her head.

"Oh, not much, duelled Ryo, met Jack Atlas, the usual. You?" Emma looked up at him, a massive grin on her face.

"You did not meet Jack Atlas," Marcus chuckled. "About the duel though… Ryo's that bully from your grade, isn't he?"

Parry nodded, "He was being his usual jerk self, but after Jack intervened, Emma crushed him with a two-turn kill."

"She's got you in on this 'meeting Jack' stuff too, has she?" Marcus raised a brow. "She's been doing this since she first saw him duel."

"But it's _true!_ He really helped me out!" Emma pouted.

Marcus looked at her in the eyes, "Nope, don't believe you," He told her, poking her on the nose. "Whatever, let's head home, see you tomorrow Patty!" He said to the dark-skinned girl.

"Uh… yeah, see ya," Patty nodded. As Marcus pushed Emma towards the bus, she watched them go. _Those two are the weirdest family ever, they trust each other so much, but they also know how to have a good time_. She smiled. _Almost makes me wish I had a big brother like him._

* * *

Director Goodwin sat in his office, going over the files he had gathered over the years. Three photographs were on his desk. One of Jack Atlas, another of a man around Jack's age with black and yellow spiky hair and wearing a blue coat. He was Yusei Fudo. Then he glanced at the other photo. It showed a young girl with teal/green hair tied up into two ponytails. She was wearing a light pink short-sleeved jacket over a long sleeved red shirt with gold markings.

"Jack is a signer, that is certain. Yusei's a very high possibility to be another, and little Luna… visited the Duel Monster's Spirit World at the mere age of three. Maybe I should look into that a bit more… as for the fourth signer…" Goodwin glanced out the window of his office, at another skyscraper in the distance.

"Maybe it's time I paid them a visit," He muttered, looking at a photograph of a woman in a cloak wearing a white mask standing in front of a dragon composed of red petals and black vines. "Black Rose Dragon…"

The chime for his office binged, "Come in," Rex said, turning his chair to see a small man dressed in a red coat with a black collar and gold trim, underneath was a white shirt with gold lining, gloves and black and golden boots. His face had red lipstick, two red lines ran vertically down over his eyes, and he had spiky purple hair.

"Director. Jack has just arrived at Memorial Circuit, Hunter Pace is ready to challenge him," the clown man said. "We await your clearance to begin."

Goodwin nodded, locking his computer and putting his files in a drawer in his desk, before locking that with a fingerprint scanner. "Then let's not keep the audience waiting," He said, standing.

"Of course, sir. Shall I bring your limousine around?" Asked the small man.

"Make it happen Lazar," Goodwin nodded, as the two left the office.

* * *

"Marcus! Hurry up!" Emma called.

"You can't rush cuisine sister of mine," Marcus pointed out, "Jack's a good duellist, but I swear the duels are rigged, he always wins in two or three turns."

He dished up the pasta meal he had made for them, and walked into the bedroom where they had set up the TV. Jack Atlas and his opponent, Hunter Pace

" _And Hunter has played a powerful trap! Can Jack Atlas recover?!_ " The duellist commentator asked.

"Of course he can, here it comes again," Marcus said, rolling his eyes as Jack plays a card.

" _You've had your fun, but it's time for my victory lap!"_ Jack smirked, as a column of yellow light burst out next to him. _"Now I'm sure you remember my Red Dragon Archfiend from our last match Hunter. And since you worked so hard to get back here… You can have the honour of falling to my most powerful beast again!_ " The dragon he was referring to was a red and black hellish looking dragon with massive claws, wings and three horns coming off the crest of it's head. (Lvl 8 3000/2000).

" _Archfiend! Send him back to the junkyard with Scorching Crimson Flare!_ " Jack commanded, his dragon spitting a large black column of fire that burnt away the last of Hunter Pace's lifepoints.

As Hunter threw off his helmet in a furious huff, Jack takes the victory lap he promised, " _And Jack Atlas' unbeaten streak continues!"_ The commentator said.

" _Who's the one Master of Faster? Who Rules the Duels? That's right! ME!_ " Jack cheered, pointing to the sky with one finger.

Marcus took the empty dishes through to the kitchen, while Emma stared at Jack as he came to a finishing halt. His pit crew and the MC approached him, taking his helmet off as he dismounted.

" _Mr Atlas? Can we get a word? Ever since you burst onto the scene with your first Duel Runner, the competition hasn't been able to keep up. Is it the power in your ride that has catapulted you to the number one ranking in the world?"_ The MC asked.

Jack took the microphone and stared directly at the camera, at the thousands of fans watching him at home. " _Let's get one thing straight, it's not the power of the runner. It's the_ rider! _I'll take on anyone on any ride and I'll still be victorious!"_ He boomed. _"Any more questions?"_

 _"_ _One more! Do you have anything to say to those out there who dream of one day challenging you?_ " The MC asked.

" _Yes. Bring. It. On!"_ Jack said simply.

Marcus turned off the TV after that, yawning slightly. "Right, enough of that egotistical hothead, time for bed I think."

Emma yawned too, "Ok bro… can you take me to the bathroom?" She asked.

Marcus nodded, and gently carried his sister to a stool she sat on in the shower while she got ready for bed.

While she washed, Marcus cleaned up the dishes and got ready for bed, straightening the sheets and fluffing up the pillows. "Marcus, I'm done!" Emma called.

Marcus entered the bathroom, spotting his sister in Winged Kuriboh pyjamas. He lifted her up, and carried her out of the room and laid her down on the bed. "I'll join you in a second," He said, moving to the bathroom to shower himself.

When he came out, dressed in a white vest and black shorts, he laid down next to his sister, and pulled the sheets up. "Good night," He said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Night bro." With that, the two siblings drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Emma: What did you think of my deck?**

 **Marcus: I think it's a really good one, after all, my first ever deck was Elemental HEROs.**

 **Jack: You chose a good start, but your friends were all entering the synchro age at that point, weren't they?**

 **Marcus: I didn't mind, I won some, I lost some, but they were always a lot of fun.**

 **Jack: What's next then? My duel with Hunter means that the original series of events has begun, so how long until Yusei makes his debut?**

 **Marcus: All in due time Speed king.**

 **All: Next time: Spirit of the Lowlifes!**


	3. Chapter 3: Spirit of the Lowlife

**I loved this chapter, just because I don't like dueling Trudge, especially with Goyo Guardian (OP Piece of garbage!)**

 **I also liked this chapter because I get to write a character I've had for a long time now, but never quite like this. My readers from Sword Art Online probably will know who I'm on about.**

 **Without any further ado, 5Ds belongs to Konami and 4Kids! I only own my OCs! Please read and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Spirit of the Lowlife**

 **Title Song: Together As One (James Paget)**

* * *

Satellite was dangerous during the day, but at night, one description would be defined as 'Death trap'.

Here, your worst enemy could be another Satellite citizen or just the natural elements. Depression, solitude and famine were everyday problems that people had to deal with, but there was those occasional few that were fuelled by a completely different emotion. Determination.

"Sarah! They're closing in fast!" A silver-haired girl with soft green eyes sat in a sidecar, while the driver of a sleek, black bike accelerated. "Make a left at the next crossroad!"

"I know! Hang on Kione, we might have to go off road!" The driver, a young woman, with shining blonde hair and piercing purple eyes, growled, hearing sirens not too far behind. With a yank at the controls, she whirled her runner off to the left.

"I knew that raiding the Sector Security base was a bad idea! Did you even get what you were after?!" Kione asked.

"Oh yeah, I got it alright," Sarah nodded. "Here comes another one!" She growled, spotting a light rapidly approaching from ahead. Without thinking too much, she swerved right, slipping into a small garage and shutting off the engine.

"What are we-!"

"Shhh!" Sarah hissed, before a red duel runner shot by, followed by a Securities Runner, a squad car and a chopper.

"Looks like we're not the only ones picking a fight with Security tonight," Kione muttered.

 _Was that Yusei?_ Sarah muttered. _It can't be, his runner was white last time I saw it, that can't be it_.

"Ok. Kione, what's the SS scanner saying? Where are they?" She turned to her passenger.

"I'm hearing a lot of chatter… they're still hunting for us, but they think we turned right back when we turned left onto Momentum Drive," Kione said, putting an earpiece in her ear.

"Then we should be able to get back to base without any trouble?" Sarah sussed. Kione nodded.

"Then let's go home," The driver said.

* * *

Satellite had plenty of junkyards that had piles of trash the height of a small house. Sarah steered her Duel Runner around one hill of junk, before Kione pulled a remote from a compartment in the sidecar, pressing a button. A small garage, half-buried in one of the junkpiles, opened up, and Sarah drove in, turned off the engine, and removed her black helmet, letting her gold hair flow freely. She wore a sleeveless purple jacket over a black vest, which showed a good half of her chest. She also wore black tight pants and boots. On her face, below her left eye was a tiny yellow line.

Kione did the same, her silver hair falling just below her shoulders, "Now what did you get exactly?" She asked Sarah. Kione wore a light blue hooded jacket that matched her hair, underneath was a silver t-shirt with three gold stars in a diagonal line on it. She also wore a pair of grey biker shorts and shoes. Shaking her head and tidying her hair revealed a yellow lightning bolt on her forehead, off to the right.

"Codes for a private boathouse owned by some bigshot who died a few years ago, he often bribed Sector Security to become some sort of kingpin, that was before a duel gang killed him. Rumour has it, his boathouse had a pretty simple little cargo ship which still works!" Sarah smirked.

"A boat…?" Kione asked, her eyes widening.

"That's right sis, pack your bags, we're getting out of here," Sarah told her.

* * *

Sarah slotted her turbo deck into a holder on her wrist, and ran some final checks on her runner, they were taking most of their most important things, cards, clothes, tools and food for the journey.

Sarah closed the cargo container that was sat behind Kione's seat in the sidecar, "Right, that's it, I think it's time to leave."

Kione took her seat in the sidecar, and Sarah mounted her duel runner. "Ready?" She asked her sister.

"You bet, now let's make tracks!" Kione nodded. Sarah smirked, and revved the engine, then, with practiced ease, she shot her vehicle out of the garage, Kione closing the door behind her as they rolled out onto the deserted Satellite streets.

"Sarah, what are we gonna do when we get to Neo Domino?" Kione asked. "We don't exactly have money, and don't forget about our trip to the Facility."

"I admit, the Facility was my fault, I wasn't expecting Trudge to box us in like that, and I can't do a lot of the neat tricks and jumps that other turbo duellists can, I've got to carry you," Sarah sighed. "We'll make it work kid."

A sudden siren blared behind them, "You on the runner! Pull over!" Sarah growled when she heard a familiar, gruff sounding voice call out.

"Speak of the devil piggy and he'll appear," She grumbled.

"Sarah, no." Kione told her, realising what she was about to do.

"We got no choice! We'll never outrun him with our cargo," Sarah sighed, and signalled she was pulling to a halt.

The Sector Security runner pulled ahead, and came to a stop. The rider dismounted, and started walking towards the black runner.

He was wearing the standard Sector Security uniform for the 'Duel Chaser' rank. A midnight blue jacket and pants over a yellow shirt, accompanied by the Securities helmet.

"Well, well, well. Sarah and Kione, been a while, hasn't it?" The officer smirked.

"What seems to be the problem Officer Trudge?" Sarah asked.

"You're riding an illegal duel runner, that, and you were speeding," Trudge told her.

"Speeding?! Satellite has no speed rules!" Kione pointed out.

"Well, you still are about to get sent back for a second round with the Facility and that Duel Runner will do nicely in Sector Security's impound," Trudge countered.

"We'll come quietly," Sarah sighed. As Trudge came forward with handcuffs, Sarah then glared. "If you can beat me in a duel."

Trudge paused, "I assume… that like Yusei, you have a deck of your own?" He asked.

"Yusei? So that _was_ him earlier…" Kione muttered, as Sarah brandished her wrist, revealing her deck that was already in duel position.

"I may have lost to Yusei, but I'm bringing you in Radcliffe!" Trudge smirked, walking back to his runner.

"I'll activate the Speed World field spell!" Sarah said, coming to line up next to Trudge. A pulse expanded from both runners, the world going purple around them.

 _"_ _Duel mode engaged, auto-pilot standing by,_ " The computer said. Then Sarah pushed a few controls, _"Auto-pilot disabled._ "

Trudge looked over with surprise, "Why turn off Auto-pilot?" He muttered.

"You think I'm letting a computer drive my runner when I'm carrying precious cargo? And my sister? Think again!" Sarah looked almost disgusted at the thought.

Kione brought up a detailed display on a screen in front of her, while Sarah focused herself.

"Let's ride!" Both duellists called out.

* * *

 **S: 4000 SC: 0  
T: 4000 SC: 0**

* * *

Their tires screeched as they shot away down the street. "We won't be heading back again!" Sarah said, drawing.

* * *

 **S: 4000 SC: 1  
T: 4000 SC: 1**

* * *

She glanced down at her hand, "I set one monster face down in defence mode!" A blank card appeared sideways on the field. "I'll also set a face-down and end my turn!"

Trudge scoffed, "That's it? Not impressed! I draw!"

* * *

 **S: SC: 2  
T: SC: 2**

* * *

"I summon Assault Dog in attack mode!" Trudge said, a large dog with some sort of combat harness strapped to his back appeared, two large guns were attached to a massive magazine that seemed to dip into it's form. (Lvl 4 1200/800).

"Go assault dog! Attack her monster!" The dog whirled around, firing the twin guns on its back at the card.

"Bad move Trudge! You attacked my Aratama!" Her card flipped up to reveal a ghostly red flame, with a pair of eyes and a mouth. (Lvl 4 800/1800)

Trudge's eyes widened, "Oh no!" He grunted, before Aratama breathed out a ghostly red wind that hit him.

* * *

 **T: 3600**

* * *

Sarah smirked, "And when Aratama is flipped up, I get to add one Spirit monster from my deck to my hand! And I chose Nikitama!" She pulled the card from her deck.

"Guess I'll end my turn with a face-down," Trudge muttered.

"It is here that I activate my face-down, Shinobird Salvation! Now, whenever a spirit monster on my field is returned to my hand, I get to target a card you control and blow it away! Next is Aratama's second effect, at the end phase, he returns to my hand!"

Aratama disappeared back into a card, which flew back to Sarah's hand. "Shinobird Salvation now activates, destroying your Assault Dog!" Lightning shot from the face up card, zapping Trudge's dog and shattering it.

"It's my move now! Draw!" Sarah smirked.

* * *

 **S: SC: 3  
T: SC: 3**

* * *

"I activate the Speed Spell – Angel Baton! Since I have 2 or more speed counters, I can draw two cards, then send one to the grave," Sarah said, carrying out her play. "Now I activate the Speed Spell – Overboost! Until the end of my turn, I gain six speed counters!"

* * *

 **S: SC: 9  
T: SC: 2**

* * *

"Finally, I play the Speed Spell – Advanced Ritual Art! So by removing four speed counters, I can send Normal monsters from my deck to the grave, which their levels add up to level 8! So, I kick aside my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

* * *

 **S: SC: 5  
T: SC: 2**

* * *

"Lord of the Spiritual lands, I ask that you come and assist in my time of need! Ritual Summon! Command, Shinobaron Peacock!" As she chanted, a human-like monster wearing ancient Japanese style clothing descended from above, with a small crown on his head, a white and blue kimono with the pattern of a peacock's feathers all over, a black belt across his chest, golden sleeves and a sword in his hand. (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

"In chain to the summoning of your monster, I activate the trap, Call of the Haunted, I'm not letting you attack me directly! Come back Assault Dog!" Trudge called.

Sarah and Kione both burst into laughter, and Shinobaron Peacock seemed to almost smirk. "You idiot!" Sarah said. "'Baron Peacock's ability activates, now I can bounce up to three monsters you control back to your hand!" She said.

Trudge paled as Assault Dog was reverted to a card, appearing in his hand. "Then I can summon one level four or lower Spirit monster from my hand, ignoring any summon conditions! So come out to play Shinobird Crane!" A birdwoman wearing white clothing, a pointed helm and armed with a large bow appeared next to the ritual monster.

"Attack him directly my two monsters!" Sarah called, Shinobaron Peacock flew forward, slashing at Trudge with his sword, then Crane fired an arrow, finishing Trudge off.

* * *

 **T: 0**

* * *

"See ya copper!" Sarah laughed, shooting by as Trudge's duel runner came to a stop, steam pouring out of the engine. Kione gave a mocking wave as they disappeared into the Satellite streets.

* * *

"Yes! The code still works!" Sarah sighed with relief as the large door to a little shed with a waterway opened. She wheeled her runner inside, while Kione walked in first with a flashlight.

"There it is, our ride to Neo Domino City!" The silver-haired sibling cheered, seeing a fishing trawler floating in the middle of the building. Kione moved their things on board while Sarah transferred her duel runner to the cargo hold.

"Kione, check to see if this tub works, we're sunk if the engine's empty or something," She told her sister, putting a rain tarp over her runner to hide it from prying eyes. A moment later, the boat's engine spluttered to life.

"All systems go! It's got a full tank!" Kione smiled. Sarah went under the deck, seeing a little kitchenette under the cabin.

"Oh, heck yeah… Let's see… Gas? Good. Water? No problem." She grinned. "Hey Kione, see if you can spot any fishing nets or poles up there, I'm feeling for a little grill tonight!"

A short while later, after Sarah figured out the controls, and they had a little rest, the little boat roared out into the open waters. "Look out Neo Domino City! We're coming for you!"

* * *

Rex Goodwin sat down in his office, The Arcadia Movement were… amusing to say the least. Sayer, their leader, gave a good front, that he was training Psychics to control their power, but Goodwin knew that he was actually raising an army to take over rise up against those who feared Psychics worldwide.

While he was there, he did meet a red-haired woman that seemed to stand out from the others. Her name was Akiza Izinski, and she was Sayer's top duellist. He was able to watch her duel another member, and when she summoned out Black Rose Dragon, he knew he had found his third potential signer.

The alert for his door went off, "Enter," Goodwin announced. In walked a blue haired woman wearing a white blouse under a grey-blue jacket that ends in the front abdomen above a brown belt, but fell past her white skirt in the back, she also wore brown heels and a pair of blue dangle earrings.

"Director," She said, coming to attention.

"Mina, how is Jack after his duel?" Goodwin asked.

"I saw him staring out to the Satellite again, he admitted that Yusei could somehow make it here to Neo Domino City," Mina said.

"Hmm… Where is Officer Trudge?" He asked.

"He just lost to a Satellite by the name of Sarah Radcliffe," Mina said, producing a profile, and handed it to her superior. "Has a younger sister called Kione, lost their parents at age 7 and 3, we've had them in before after stealing from a Sector Security kitchen."

"I remember them, Sarah was particularly hard to control in the Facility, we had to unite her with her sister to make her calm down long enough to re-educate her," Goodwin nodded, reading through Sarah and Kione's files.

"We've picked up their markers, they're on a boat, in between Satellite and Neo Domino City. We just need your go ahead to arrest them," Mina said.

"Leave them be, they aren't a threat to Jack, where's Trudge?" Goodwin asked.

"He's returned to base, waiting for debriefing for his losses against Yusei and Sarah," Mina said.

"Good, I need to go and talk with Jack, I have a plan to keep Yusei in the Satellite," Goodwin smiled. "Good evening Mina."

Mina nodded, saluted and departed. Goodwin glanced at Sarah and Kione's profiles, and added them to a list.

 _If they're as strong as believed, they might be what I need to expose the signers at the Fortune Cup_. He thought with a small smile. He then brought up Marcus and Emma's files. _These two as well, both are very strong, and Marcus could even prove a challenge for Jack if he made it so far._ With a nod, he also added them to the list. _Soon. The war will begin soon._

* * *

 **Marcus: The plot thickens!**

 **Emma: Ooh! Juicy! What have you got planned?**

 **Sarah: And what's our role in this?**

 **Marcus: You'll see. Oh, and I wasn't kidding about Trudge in the beginning, I hate his 'high speed pursuit' deck, especially his ace monster!**

 **Sarah: Why not have a duel with him later on?**

 **Marcus: ... brilliant idea actually...**

 **Kione: Uh oh, Sis, you set his mind going...**

 **All: Next time: The Crimson Dragon Awakens!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Crimson Dragon Awakens!

**Hello to everyone! I am loving this story! And this was a fun duel to write as well, read below to see what I mean.**

 **Also, the plot thickens as a new character is introduced! Wait to see what happens next to see more about him.**

 **As always, read, enjoy and review! I do not own YGO 5Ds, it belongs to 4Kids and Konami! I do own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Crimson Dragon Awakens!**

 **Title Song: May It Be (Enya)**

* * *

"Alright, just a little closer!" Sarah listened to her sister's instructions, bringing the boat closer to dry land.

"How's that?" She asked.

Kione leapt from the boat to shore, before grabbing a large coil of rope and tying it around a nearby tree. "Ok, I think we're good!" She called.

"Ok, we must not forget about this boat, if we need to, it could be our only ticket back to Satellite that doesn't get us another beauty mark," Sarah said, switching off the boat's engine and lowering a small anchor. Then she lifted a large plank of wood, propping it up against the side of the boat, and handing another one to Kione so she could do the same to the shore.

"Right, what now Sarah?" Kione asked.

"Well, my thinking is that we look for an old friend of ours, he made it here to Neo Domino a few months ago, and blended in with the crowd here," Sarah said. "He runs a mechanic not far from Duel Academy."

"You thinking we can crash at his place in exchange for doing some mechanical work in his business?" Kione asked. "If someone finds out he's sheltering Satellites, he'll be off to the Facility, as will we!"

"That's why we'll earn some cash and get some make-up to hide these marks of ours, get some new clothes maybe and disappear into the crowd," Sarah told her.

Kione sighed, "Well, it's better than anything I can come up with, let's go find your friend."

Sarah wheeled her duel runner off the boat, and Kione followed with a detached sidecar. After Sarah tightened the connector, they set off into the city.

"Look at this place," Kione muttered, looking around at the buildings. "It's so different to the Satellite."

"Careful with what you say kid, we can't give away that we're from that place anymore, we're from Kyoto, and we came here to get a fresh start, ok?" Sarah reminded her.

"Oh, yeah! So different to Kyoto," Kione corrected herself, causing Sarah to chuckle. "Who are we going to see anyway?"

"Remember? He taught us everything we know about Duel Monsters," Sarah told her.

"You mean-!"

"That's right kid, we're going to go see the old man," Sarah smirked.

* * *

Sarah pulled the Black Spirit to a halt outside a workshop, the garage door was open, and the lights were on inside.

"Yo, Gramps! You in here?!" Sarah called, dismounting and walking inside the garage

"Give me a minute and I'll be with ya," A male voice called back. Sarah pinpointed the source, walking up to see a man in his forties working on a regular motorcycle.

"Have you tried changing the cylinders?" She asked, scrutinizing the engine. "I can see they're cracked from here."

"Roller chains' busted too, look, how'd this thing even get here?" Kione added.

"On the back of a truck," The man said, turning around to face the girls. His eyes widened, "Well, call me the King of Games… Sarah, Kione!" He laughed, putting down his wrench at stand up and greet them with a hug. As he did, he noticed the marks on the two girls' faces.

"Mako Takashi-Sensei! Great to see you again!" Sarah laughed.

"How'd you get here? The Pipeline isn't until tonight," Mako asked.

"Stole the codes for some guy's boathouse, took his boat," Kione said.

"A boat? How'd you evade the Security patrol boats?" Mako asked.

"We almost didn't, one passed by, but somehow they didn't see us," Sarah said.

"We were preparing a story that we were just doing some fishing for Martha's kids, Sarah modified her hair so it hid her mark, I have no idea how we got here without being stopped once," Kione explained. Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise came from her, and she cringed, glancing down at her stomach. "Uh… sorry about that… We've been running light on food since halfway across the sea."

"Well, how about I make some lunch and you can tell me about what's happened since I left," Mako said.

"What about the bike?" Kione asked.

"I think it can wait for this," the older man chuckled.

* * *

"I see…" He said, after the siblings told him everything. "Tell you what, if you promise to help me out with my orders here, I'll give you some funding, and let you stay with me."

"Thank you so much," Sarah sighed with relief, bowing low and closing her eyes. Kione did the same.

"Think nothing of it, I owe you for helping me with my old bike, without your help, I never would have made it out of Satellite," Mako smiled. He then gave a small smirk.

"Now, how about a duel with one of you for old time's sake?" He asked.

"You've not duelled me since I made a new deck!" Kione said, raising her hand. "So how about I duel you here."

"Alright. Follow me," Mako smirked, before standing up and heading out behind his garage.

Sarah and Kione gasped with surprise, as Mako switched on a pair of floodlights, revealing a large raised platform with two elevated stands, one red, and one blue.

"No way…" Sarah muttered. "It's an actual, genuine duel arena."

"It's my baby project, I've duelled on it a couple of times with my customers, but I've been waiting for you to catch up," Mako said, walking around to the red side.

Kione nodded, and headed for the blue, pulling out her deck and putting it on the appropriate square. Her pod lifted up, so she was looking over the field, to where Mako was on his side.

"DUEL!"

* * *

 **K: 4000  
M: 4000**

* * *

"Seniority first, I draw!" Mako said, drawing. His smirk made Kione frown slightly. "I'll set one monster face-down, then set two face-downs and pass it to you."

Kione scowled, if Mako had the same deck from the last time they duelled, then this could be bad. "I draw, and summon Cold Enchanter to the field!"

A woman wearing white armour and a flowing cloak appeared, she had snow-white hair under an icy helmet, and she held a staff with a snowflake on it. (Lvl 4 1600/1200). "I activate her ability, I can discard cards from my hand, and put Ice Counters on the field, then Cold Enchanter gains 300 attack points for each counter. I discard two cards and put that many counters on Enchanter!" As she spoke, two snowflakes appeared, floating around her monster. (2200/1200).

"Cold Enchanter, attack his face-down!" She commanded. Cold Enchanter fired an icy blast that struck Mako's card, which flipped up to reveal a card that Kione was really unhappy to see.

"You activated Pyramid Turtle's special power! I can now summon one Zombie type monster with 2000 or less defence points from my deck! And I choose Il Blud!" A large, disfigured humanoid appeared on his field, wearing a prison jumpsuit, but it was zipped open at the front, revealing a grotesque face. (lvl 6 2100/800). Kione shivered at the sight.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn," She said.

Mako drew his card, "I summon the Il Blud on my field, which turns him from a normal monster into an effect monster! Now I summon Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in defence mode!" A massive tower of bones appeared, several blue spirits fluttered around it. (Lvl 3 400/1500).

"Next, I activate Il Blud's effect! With it, I'm allowed to summon a Zombie Type monster from my hand or either player's graveyard. I summon another Bone Tower!" On the other side of Il Blud, the second tower appeared.

"Now the effect of my first tower activates, when a Zombie type monster is special summoned, you have to send the top two cards from your deck to the grave!" Mako grinned.

 _That's an evil combo Sensei, but I expect nothing less from our old mentor._ Sarah thought, watching from the side. Kione scowled again, taking her two cards and putting them in her grave.

"Alright, I set another face-down and end my turn," Mako said.

 _His towers have the ability to make a pseudo-zombie lock, as long as he controls another Zombie, I can't attack those towers, which is bad for me, because next turn, he'll special summon another zombie and force me to send the top four cards from my deck to the grave._ Kione thought.

"I draw…!" She said. "And activate the spell, Medallion of the Ice Barrier! This card lets me add one Ice Barrier monster from my deck to my hand! So I'm adding Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier! And I'll summon him!"

A human wearing a white robe, a brown hood and some red and blue shorts appeared next to her, he was holding an icy whip that he lashed once. (Lvl 2 1300/0).

Mako's eyes widened. "A tuner monster?" He asked her.

"Yep! Now I tune my level 2 Cryomancer with my level four Cold Enchanter!" Both monster leapt up, the tuner becoming a pair of green rings which Enchanter flew right through, becoming four stars.

"Ice Cold Dragon, emerge from the tundra and freeze the world around you! Synchro Summon! Roar, Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Kione chanted.

A green pillar shot down in front of her, before fading, revealing a gleaming blue dragon of ice, with large wings and a long, serpentine body. (Lvl 6 2300/1400).

"Not good…" Mako muttered.

"For you that is," Kione corrected. "I play Brionac's ability! By sending one card from my hand to the grave, I can target one card you control and return it to the hand! I chose one of your Soul towers!" Brionac started to charge up power.

"Hold it kid! I activate my trap! It's called Dark Illusion! Now, because you targeted a DARK attribute monster I control with an effect, I can negate the effect and destroy the card!" Mako smirked.

Kione yelled out with anger as Mako's trap shot forth a spooky phantom shape that went through Brionac, destroying it instantly. She sighed, "I guess I end my turn."

Mako chuckled, "Not bad Kione, I admit, I'm liking the Ice Barrier deck," He said, drawing, "But it's not good enough. I activate the effect of Il Blud, which means I can summon the Tuner monster Plaguespreader Zombie!" A small troll shaped monster appeared on his field. (Lvl 2 400/200).

"Now you know what that means! Both Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers have their effects activated, meaning you send the top four cards from your deck to the grave!" Mako added.

As Kione did so, Mako rubbed his hands together, "Now, I think it's time I showed off a new friend of mine! Level 2 Plaguespreader Zombie tunes with level 6 Il Blud!"

"Dark Dragon of the apocalypse, rise up and destroy the world that fears you! Synchro Summon! Destroy everything! Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons!" He chanted. Before him appeared a two-headed black and purple dragon, with a long lashing tail. At the spot where the two heads meet seemed to be two glowing red eyes, and a set of massive teeth. (Lvl 8 3000/3000).

"That's not good at all…" Sarah hissed.

"Right you are Sarah! Fortunately, Beelze is a dragon type, so the Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers don't activate again! Battle! Beelze! Attack her directly! And it is now that I reveal my two face-down cards! First is Robbin' Zombie! Now, whenever I inflict damage to you by way of battle, you send the top card from your deck to the graveyard! Secondly is Hard-Sellin' Zombie! So then, when I deal battle damage to your lifepoints, I select one card in your grave and return it to the bottom of your deck."

Two deformed ghouls appeared behind his dragon, just as Beelze spat two sickly purple blasts at her.

* * *

 **K: 1000**

* * *

"Now the effects of my two zombies activate! One from the top of your deck to the graveyard," Kione glanced at her card, as she put it there, then she looked at her field, one card face-down, no cards in the hand… then she gave a small nod. _This'll work!_

"Before the effect of your Hard-Sellin' Zombie resolves, I'll activate Call of the Haunted! And with it, I'm summoning the monster that was just sent from my deck to the grave!" Kione said. "Come to the field, General Gantala of the Ice Barrier!"

Emerging to the field through the trap was a man wearing a white and green martial arts outfit, a blue six-pointed star was on his forehead, the same shape was on his back, in the form of a strange snowflake with the center cut out. (Lvl 7 2700/2000).

"Clever… Hard-Sellin' Zombie, let's see her graveyard…" Mako smirked, before his eyes widened, seeing what she had.

"Damn, I can't decide, General Grunard, General Raiho and Brionac are all good targets, I'll choose your tuner monster, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" Kione took the card, and placed it at the bottom of her deck.

"I end my turn," He said.

 _I need a miracle here… come on deck, don't let me down…_ Kione said, before drawing.

"It's a start… I activate the Spell Swords of Revealing Light! With this, you can't attack me for three of your turns!" Three glowing swords appeared above Kione's field. "I end my turn, it's now that Gantala's ability activates, allowing me to summon one Ice Barrier monster from the graveyard! Come to play in defence mode, Defender of the Ice Barrier!" A yellow furred, four-legged animal with ice crystals on it's tail and mane appeared. (Lvl 3 200/1600).

"Now, while I control another Ice Barrier monster, you can't declare an attack with a monster that has higher attack than Defender's defence!"

"I draw!" Mako said, frowning. "I end my turn." One sword vanished.

Kione drew, praying again. "I set one monster in defence mode, then end my turn, summoning Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier from my graveyard!" A young woman appeared, wearing a red chestplate lined with a white fluffy hem, a white pair of snow pants and a purple scarf appeared, holding a pair of spinning weapons, both in the shape of the Ice Barrier symbol.

Mako drew, and frowned again. "I set a face-down and end my turn." The second sword disappeared.

"I draw! And activate the spell card Surface! This lets me summon one level 3 or lower Fish, Sea-Serpent or Aqua type monster from my graveyard, so I bring back Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier!" Appearing like a submarine surfacing from the depths of the ocean was a white-haired man wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, ice blue baggy pants, a dark blue cloth down over his abdomen, and a low cape from behind his back. In his hands were a pair of icy swords. (Lvl 2 100/1600).

"I now flip up my face-down monster, Penguin Soldier!" An adorable little purple feathered penguin, wearing a pair of red armoured shoulder pads and a sword grasped in his flippered appeared. (Lvl 2 750/500).

"You can't be serious! Not him!" Mako sweatdropped.

"Oh yes him! Penguin Soldier, return the two Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers to Mako's hand!" Kione smirked. Mako groaned as his tower block disappeared.

"Alright, now I tune my Defender of the Ice Barrier with Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier and Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier!" Kione called out, and while her monsters jumped up, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

"Mighty master of the frozen world, your friend is calling for your aid. Become the one to rule in the light!" Her eyes opened, "Synchro Summon! Arise from the tundra, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Trishula was a white and dark blue, three-headed mighty dragon with two huge wings across its back. On the crest of each head was a red gem that lit up briefly. Behind the dragon was a long lashing tail, with several large ice spikes at the tip, which made it look like a large fan. (Lvl 9 2700/2000).

"Now for Trishula's effect, when she's synchro summoned, I can remove from play one random card in your hand, one card on your field and one card in your graveyard!" Kione explained. "So, I target the one card in your hand, your Beelze, and how about Il Blud from your grave?"

Mako scowled, seeing his Dark Armed Dragon being banished from his hand, as well as his other two monsters. "General Gantala! Attack him directly!" Her monster charged forward, letting out a battlecry as he fired a series of blue blasts from his hand.

* * *

 **M: 1300**

* * *

"And now Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, finish the duel with Absolute Freeze Lancer!" All three of her dragon's heads roared, before they charged up and fired a white blast that removed the last of his lifepoints.

* * *

 **M: 0**

* * *

As the holograms faded, both duellists returned to Sarah, who was clapping with amazement at the comeback her sister had made.

"You are one lucky kid," Mako chuckled. "If you hadn't sent Gantala, it would have been over next turn." He showed Dark Armed Dragon.

"Yikes, I'm glad my deck has my back," Kione sighed with relief.

"That was an amazing comeback sis!" Sarah smirked. "And Penguin Soldier strikes again! I love that card, such a deadly effect."

"What really surprised me was that you use an Ice Barrier deck, they're extremely rare to come by these days, so good on you for choosing such a decent deck," Mako laughed.

"That was with a bad hand as well, like you said, I got lucky," Kione shrugged off the praise.

* * *

That night, the sisters slept together, in a room that Mako put together for them, with a pair of cots to sleep and a small mini-fridge and stove.

Sarah found herself yawning, waking to a stinging feeling on her left hand. It was still dark, so Sarah reached for the light. _What time is it?_ She asked, glancing at her father's old watch. _1:00 AM? I never wake this early unless I'm getting the feeling that something big is going to happen…_ She glanced down at where the pain was coming from, and she noticed a green light on her hand, in the shape of a star.

Quietly, she got up from bed and glanced out the window. It was then that she gasped.

"Sarah…? What are you doing awake at this time?" Kione mumbled behind her.

"Shut up and come see this!" Sarah hissed, now fully awake.

Kione didn't need to get up, from her bed, she could see it clearly, meanwhile, a blue glow, in the shape of a star, was coming from her hand.

* * *

On the other side of Duel Academy, Marcus woke to a stinging feeling on his hand, and at the same time, the window in his and Emma's bedroom lit up with crimson light.

"What the…?" He asked, glancing at his hand. A gold glow, in the shape of a small star, was coming from it, the same colour as the light outside.

"Marcus… turn off the light…" Emma mumbled from next to him. Marcus glanced down when he noticed that there was a red light on her hand, in the same shape as what was on his hand.

"What is this…?" he asked, before he stood, walking to the window. When he opened the shutters, he gasped.

"Marcus? What is it?" Emma asked, noticing her brother's movement. He picked her up, causing her to yelp slightly, before she looked out the window and her eyes widened hugely.

What the two pairs of siblings were seeing was a massive red dragon with yellow swirls coiling up it's body, it flew up out of the Memorial Circuit, expanding it's huge wings to their maximum span.

"What… the… hell?" They all asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, from a large skyscraper, with the two letters 'AM' on the side of the building, a blue haired young man, aged around seventeen, glanced out a window, on his way back to his room. He had one eye covered by an eyepatch, and his other eye was slate grey. He was wearing an orange t-shirt under a grey jacket, with a small pendant of the EARTH attribute symbol hanging from his neck. He wore black cargo pants, and black boots. He glanced at his hand, where a white light was glowing.

"Daiki? What are you doing up at this time of night?" He turned, hearing the voice of Arcadia Movement leader Sayer speak.

Without a single word, he turned around, and ran towards the railing. "Daiki! Stop, that's an order!" Sayer called. Without a second thought, Daiki sprang over the edge, before reaching for a grey and orange themed duel disk, drawing a card.

"I summon Naturia White Oak!" Below him, a large tree appeared from thin air. When the man almost hit the ground, the tree suddenly shifted it's branches, clumping them together, allowing the boy to jump off the bark and landing safely on the ground.

"Thank you, my friend," He said, making the tree fade. "Now I summon Naturia Leodrake!" A lion with a green, leafy body, orange paws and a red leafy mane appeared before him. The lion dropped down, allowing Daiki to jump on board.

"Get me out of here my friend, it's time to prepare," He told the monster, which nodded, before taking off at a sprint, bashing through a garage door before taking off into the city.

"It's begun…" He muttered, glancing back to where the large red dragon was vanishing. "The other Star Guardians have been chosen."

* * *

 **Marcus: So, there we go, I think that will do for today!**

 **Emma: That guy at the end was rather cool, he's a psychic duellist isn't he?**

 **Kione: He looked so edgy... but so mysterious too!**

 **Sarah: Huh, he seems to be a smash hit with the sisters, we'll see what happens when he gives me a duel.**

 **Marcus: Watch it, I could make him pop up in here any second.**

 **Sarah: Um... maybe not now eh?**

 **Daiki: ... You are an interesting bunch.**

 **Sarah: WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!**

 **All: Next time: The Twins!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Twins

**Hey all! Time for probably my favourite chapter yet! One thing I'm going to make sure happens in this story is letting Leo and Luna have a bit more time in the spotlight. I mean, Leo duelled a couple of times, against Yusei, Greiger, which he lost spectacularly, Devack, which he did well, Hayley, which he won in the filler arc, Lester, which was one of his better duels, and Aporia, which he became a true boss!**

 **Luna duelled even less than Leo, having four proper on screen duels! Only four! She duelled the Professor in the Fortune cup, which she was played like a fiddle, she took over for Leo against Devack, which she used her brother's deck, and Aporia with Leo and Jack, where she practically just set the stage for the Signer's victory.**

 **I will be giving them a lot more time on centre stage, their decks complement each other as well, Luna can sit back and heal/burn the opponent, while Leo goes in with the big damage with his equips and even the potential OTK magic that Morphtronics can pull off.**

 **I've rambled long enough! On with the show!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Twins**

 **Title Song: Live and Learn - Lullaby version (xTrickyWolfy and Flamez137)**

* * *

Marcus put down his pen, deep in thought. He couldn't stop thinking about the gigantic dragon that he and Emma had seen last night. It was apparent that the dragon hadn't been a secret either, several students he passed at Duel Academy, either in the halls or his class, were often bringing the 'Crimson Dragon' as Marcus had heard it dubbed as.

"You ok Marcus?" Asked Marina. Marcus mentally cursed, he seemed to be thinking a bit too much.

"I'm good, sorry. Just had… a lot on my mind lately," He shrugged, before returning to his physics problems. _Relax Marc… remember, you and Emma are gonna go see the twins in the tops at the weekend, so just focus on the week ahead for now._

That afternoon, Marcus closed his locker, having put away his things for the day, "Hey Marcus, you wanna hang out this weekend?" He turned to his locker neighbour.

"Sorry man, I got stuff going on," He said, closing his locker and walking away with a wave. He walked out of the college building, heading for the main entrance, where Emma would be waiting, like she usually did.

He saw her, her friend Bob, and another boy in the usual spot, the other boy seemed to be saying something.

"… So… I'm sorry for what happened on Tuesday, I was feeling that need for trouble," The boy said, as Marcus entered earshot. "I mean… I'm sorry for hurting you, pulling you to your feet and causing pain."

Marcus walked over, causing Emma to sweatdrop, "Uh… Ryo…?" She said. Marcus tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around to see the older sibling with a dark smirk on his face and cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, I hope you're sorry pal, 'cause I hear you were the one who messed with my sister," He said. "Explain, before I mess with you."

"Uh… Emma… help me out here…" Ryo muttered.

"Ryo already apologised in written form yesterday, he just wanted to see if we could bury the hatchet," Emma told her brother. "So please put your duel disk down, I don't think he needs another beating."

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook, but hurt her again, and you're messing with me," Marcus told the boy. "Now get going kid."

"T-Thank you! Sorry again!" He stammered, before taking off at a run.

"Seriously Marcus? You could get a strike for that," Emma sighed.

"Nah, I was just messing with him," Marcus chuckled. "But seriously, next time he causes trouble, just give me a call. Same for you Bob."

"Cool, see ya 'round guys," Bob waved, before heading off.

"You packed everything for the weekend? We're going to see the tops twins, remember?" Marcus reminded her, when they got on the bus.

"How could I forget? I've been thinking of ways to break Leo's deck all week," Emma laughed.

"I just want to cook in that fancy kitchen! It's so much bigger than ours!" Marcus chuckled. "Then again, that's usually what happens when you have friends who own a penthouse."

* * *

The next day, the two siblings powered through their classes like usual, and rode the bus home to grab a couple of suitcases. Then, they headed back to the bus stop, and took a ride to the entryway for the tops.

The tops was the name of the most expensive apartment sector in the city, it was here that you would find retired duel pros and multi-millionaires.

Marcus wheeled Emma up the ramp, the girl holding onto the suitcases, to where a guard stood. "Hey, we're expected by the twins Leo and Luna? We have permits," He said, pulling out a pair of papers. "The suitcases have clothes, cards and toiletries."

The guard quickly read through the documents, "Alright, everything seems in order, let me scan your faces and luggage to make sure you're not hiding any criminal marks or contraband," The guard said, pulling out a small screen.

Marcus and Emma waited, having gone through this before. "Yep, you're clean, just try to keep it that way," the guard said, pushing a card into a slot behind him.

One elevator ride to the top of a skyscraper later, Marcus buzzed entry for an apartment. "Who is it?" A young male voice asked.

"The pizza man, who the heck do you think it is?" Marcus chuckled.

"Well I can't look through the lens, it's too high up!" The boy seemed to pout, before the door opened, revealing a green/teal haired boy with orange eyes wearing a white jacket over a blue shirt with a gold pattern on it. He also wore white shorts and socks. A pair of blue sneakers were neatly placed by the door, next to a pair of red ones.

"Marc! Em! 'Bout time you got here," The boy grinned.

"How've you been Leo?" Marcus asked, pushing Emma through the door.

"Hey Leo, keep it down, some of us are trying to… huh?" A second head of green hair with hazel eyes looked up from some paper. This time it was a girl, wearing very similar clothes to Leo, but she was wearing a slightly pink jacket and a red shirt.

"Yo, how's it going Luna?" Emma asked with a wave.

"Hey, you're here!" The girl got to her feet, and ran to join her brother. "Sorry, we've been doing homework."

 _So that's what the paper is,_ Marcus thought, as they walked over to the couches and sat down. Leo and Luna's penthouse was two stories tall, and from the outside, it looked like a mansion sat on top of a skyscraper. A kitchen was in the corner of the main room, which had a huge TV on the wall, two yellow couches and a table, and various bookshelves and posters on the wall around the room.

Outside the sliding doors was a little slice of paradise. A swimming pool, several neatly trimmed hedges, some trees and even a gazebo in the corner of the open space. Marcus whistled, "Whenever I come here, I feel like an ant in a house," He said, looking around.

"Really? We've never really noticed it," Leo shrugged.

Emma chuckled, "Well maybe if you came and stayed in our little apartment, you'd feel like a giant instead," She said.

"So how have you two been? We haven't seen you since Emma's birthday last week," Luna asked.

"Not much has changed, I'm a year older and Duel Academy's the same old story," Emma said.

"I bet it must be nice going to a public school, we get our lessons taught by the internet," Leo sighed.

"Don't like being home tutored?" Marcus asked.

"Even that would be better, all we do is look at screens for a couple of hours, have a duel or two, make some lunch, look at screens again, then call it a day," Luna grumbled.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound fun, and what're these?" Marcus looked down at the sheets of papers.

"That's some math homework, we usually print it out, do it on paper, then scan it and send it back to the teaching website," Leo explained. "We've got it though, don't worry."

"If you say so, how've you two been with your duelling skills?" Marcus asked them.

"Could be better, our only duel opponents are each other, Dexter and rarely our parents," Luna shrugged. "Although, I still don't know whether Leo is somehow stacking his deck."

The Cersy siblings laughed, "He beats you often eh? Then how about a duel with one of us? Maybe you'll get lucky?" Emma asked.

"Hey… how about a tag duel? Marcus, would you like to team up with me?" Leo offered.

"I think Luna needs a win in her duel book, so I'm going to team up with her," Marcus said.

"Huh? Y-you really want to have me as your partner?" Luna asked.

"Looks like it's you and me Leo, try not to hold me back," Emma said to the male twin.

The four headed outside, Luna pressed a couple of buttons which closed the pool, turning it into a duel field. Then, she and Leo put on their duel disks which were white and red and white and blue respectively. Marcus made a frown as he saw the twins struggle to hold their arms up.

"Those things haven't been adjusted for you?" He asked. Both shook their heads. "Alright, after the duel, I'll see what I can do that might make them lighter."

Emma activated her duel field on her wheelchair, and Marcus put on his custom duel disk, a white and gold variant, with what looked like dragon wings on the extended arm.

"DUEL!" They all called out.

* * *

 **M/L: 4000  
E/L: 4000**

* * *

"The first move shall be mine!" Emma said, drawing. "I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman!" A tall man wearing gold and blue armour appeared by her side. (Lvl 4 1600/1400). "Then I'll set two face downs and pass the turn!"

"Then I guess I'm up," Luna said, "By revealing the Golden Ladybug in my hand during my standby phase, we gain 500 lifepoints!" She said, showing the card she just drew.

"Nice Luna!" Marcus smiled, as a golden insect flittered over them, showering down sparkling dust.

* * *

 **M/L: 4500**

* * *

"Next, I summon Fire Princess in defence mode!" She said. A woman with ashy-grey hair wearing flowing red robes appeared before her, who span a wooden staff before dropping to a knee. (Lvl 4 1300/1500).

"Lastly, I set two face-downs and end my turn!" Luna said, before her brother drew his card.

"Here we go! I summon Morphtronic Celfon in attack mode!" A small yellow robot with body parts resembling pieces of a cell phone appeared, on his chest were the numbers 1 to 6. (Lvl 1 100/100). "And I'll get to work activating his ability! Once a turn, I can roll a six-sided die, then I can check that number of cards on the top of my deck, until I find a level 4 or lower Morphtronic monster! Then I can summon it!"

He span his arm around, before he pointed at his Celfon, "Let's get dialling!" He grinned. The six numbers on his chest lit up randomly, before landing on 4. Leo excavated that many cards, and grinned, "I summon Morphtronic Magnen in defence mode!"

A blue and red robot appeared, before folding up into a curved magnet. (Lvl 3 800/800).

"Next, I set a face-down and end my turn!" Leo said.

"It's now that I reveal my face-down, activate continuous trap, Solemn Wishes! We gain 500 lifepoints every time we draw a card!" Luna called out.

Marcus smiled, "My turn! Draw." He examined his hand, while Luna's trap did it's work.

* * *

 **M/L: 5000**

* * *

"When we gain lifepoints, Fire Princess hits you for 500 points of damage!" Luna said. Fire Princess spun her staff, before lobbing a fireball at their opponents.

* * *

 **E/L: 3500**

* * *

"I'll start small, I summon Paladin of Felgrand!" At Marcus' command, a man wearing royal blue armour appeared, holding a sword and shield. (Lvl 4 1700/300). "His effect activates, letting me equip one level 7 or 8 dragon type monster from my deck to him, while he has this equip, he's unaffected by monster effects."

Marcus pulled out his deck, before opening it and choosing a card. "I equip him with the level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Paladin's sword turned white, with a blue glow, and his shield did the same.

"I'll end my turn with one face-down," He said.

"Then it's back to me, I draw!" Emma said. "I summon Elemental HERO Woodsman in defence mode!" A man with green skin, with an arm and a leg made of tree bark, he wore a tattered cloth at his waist and fur boots, then he crouched down. (Lvl 4 1000/2000).

"I attack Fire Princess with Sparkman! Static Shockwave!" the girl commanded, before Sparkman shot lightning at Luna's monster.

"Not so fast Emma! I got a trap!" Luna said, tapping a button on her disk. "Wall of Revealing Light! So, by reducing our lifepoints by 2000, monsters you control with attack less than or equal to that amount can't attack us!" A blue wall appeared before Luna and Marcus' line of monsters, before Sparkman halted his attack, being unable to get through to carry out his command.

* * *

 **M/L: 3000**

* * *

"Not bad Luna," Emma said, "I pass my turn to you!"

"I draw!" Luna said.

* * *

 **M/L: 3500  
E/L: 3000**

* * *

"Next I reveal Golden Ladybug to gain another 500 lifepoints! And Fire Princess hits you for another 500 damage!" Luna said.

* * *

 **M/L: 4000  
E/L: 2500**

* * *

"Can you stop throwing the fireballs already?" Leo groaned.

"I think I'll double your trouble instead, by summoning Ebon Magician Curran in defence mode!" A small blonde girl wearing a black dress with a white face at the bottom. On her head was a black bonnet with a pair of bunny ears. (Lvl 2 1200/0).

"So, now during every one of my standby phases, I can slam you with 300 hits of direct damage for each monster you control!" Luna said. She glanced at her hand, "I'll put one card face-down and end my turn." She turned to Marcus, "I'll keep with this, you hit them hard."

"That's if he gets that far!" Leo called, "I activate Morphtronic Celfon's ability again! Dial on!" He pointed to his monster, which spun through it's numbers again, before landing on a 2. "A two! So let's see…" Leo picked up those cards, and smiled. "I summon another Morphtronic Magnen in defence mode!"

A second magnet appeared, before it turned to point at the other magnen, and fired an electrical barrier. "Yeah! That's my Magnen lock! Good luck attacking my monsters, because as long as I control two Magnens, you can't attack any machine type monsters."

He took a card from his hand, "Next, I'm summoning the tuner monster, Morphtronic Scopen in attack mode!" A large microscope appeared, before changing into a robot, with a pair of metal coils coming out of the neck, snapping furiously. (Lvl 3 800/1400). "And with his ability to summon a level four Morphtronic monster from my hand, I'm bringing out Morphtronic Boomboxen!" This time, a music player appeared, before changing into a small stubby red robot. (Lvl 4 1200/400).

"Now, I tune my level three Scopen with level four Boomboxen!" Leo called out. "Docking strength with courage to protect the earth's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!" He chanted, as the two monsters formed three rings and four stars, becoming a green pillar.

What emerged from the light was a large mechanical dragon, with yellow armour all over it's body. Two arms had a large blue bucket and a green drill attached, a pair of yellow wings on its back, and a long lashing tail with a shovel head extended from behind it. (Lvl 7 2300/2500).

"Wow, not bad Leo." Marcus chuckled, closing his eyes. It wasn't every day that he got to see Leo's ace monster show up, so this was a good treat. "However…" He opened his eyes, which glowed almost golden. "It's not a true dragon."

Leo frowned at how casual Marcus was looking, he had something planned. "I play my dragon's special ability! Once a turn, I can add a random equip spell from my deck to my hand!" Leo said, his deck already shuffling, before one card slipped out. "Alright! I play one of my favourites, Double Tool C&D! And I'll equip it to Power Tool Dragon!"

The dragon roared as his current tools changed into an automatic drill and a power saw. (3300/2500). "Here's how this card works, the monster this card is equipped to gains a thousand attack points during my turn, and when he attacks, the target's effects are negated," Leo called. "Power Tool Dragon! Attack Paladin of Felgrand!"

The mecha dragon gave a roar, before he charged across the field, tearing through Marcus' monster. Marcus covered up from the shockwaves that were caused.

* * *

 **M/L: 2400**

* * *

"Oh that was a bad move boy." Marcus said, his eyes glowing brightly with determination. "I play Oasis of Dragon Souls! This nifty trap lets me summon one monster from my graveyard in defence mode, and it becomes a Wyrm type monster."

"So wait…" Leo mumbled.

"The embodiment of the Pride and Soul of a Legendary Duellist! I summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Marcus yelled, before the famous white scaled, blue-eyed dragon flew up from behind the building, landing on the roof, overlooking the field. (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

Leo and Luna both gawked at the majestic dragon of legends. "Every time we see it, it still amazes us," the latter admitted.

"Done Leo?" Marcus asked.

"I'll end my turn," Leo said.

"Then it's my move!" Marcus said, feeling the effects of Solemn Wishes kick in, and Fire Princess throwing yet another fireball at their opponents.

* * *

 **M/L: 2900  
E/L: 2000**

* * *

He glanced up at Power Tool Dragon, clearly the most threatening monster the opponent had at the moment.

"First, I'm switching Blue-Eyes into attack mode!" Blue-Eyes roared as he rose to his full height. "Then, from my hand, I activate the spell called Trade-In! By discarding one level eight monster in my hand, I can draw two cards!" He said. "I discard White Night Dragon." He said, carrying out the actions.

"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster Galaxy Serpent!" Marcus said. A blue and white little dragon appeared next to him. (Lvl 2 1000/0).

"Now, I'll remove Paladin of Felgrand from play, to special summon Black Dragon Collapserpent!" Marcus added. A black and orange scaled dragon with blue wings appeared from a black hole. (Lvl 4 1800/1700).

"Finally, I'll tune level two Galaxy Serpent with level four Black Dragon!" Marcus said. Galaxy Serpent formed a pair of green rings, before his other dragon flew through, becoming four stars, a green pillar of light then shone through.

"Mighty Dragon, spread your wings and soar to new heights! Synchro Summon! Make the sky tremble! Orient Dragon!" A large dragon with orange scales and feathery green and blue wings landed before Marcus. (Lvl 6 2300/1000).

"He has two dragons now?" Leo asked.

"And now you have none! When Orient Dragon is Synchro Summoned successfully, then I can banish one Synchro monster on my opponent's field! Power Tool Dragon, take a hike!"

Leo watched with a dropped jaw as his ace monster vanished, "No way!" he yelled.

"Yes way! Since I can't attack your machines, I'll have to look elsewhere for targets! Now, Orient Dragon, attack HERO Woodsman!" Marcus commanded. "Shining Blast!" His first dragon reared back his head, before letting out a bright stream that tore through Emma's monster.

"Next, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, vaporize that Sparkman! Burst Stream of Destruction!" the white dragon roared, before letting out a blue laser that crackled with lightning.

* * *

 **E/L: 600**

* * *

Emma grinned as her monster was destroyed, "I activate HERO Signal! And with it's power, I can summon a level four or lower E HERO from my deck! I choose Elemental HERO Ocean!" a man wearing a full suit of blue armour appeared on her field, holding a two-pronged staff.

"I know what you're up to, and I can't do anything to stop it! I'll set one face-down and end my turn!" Marcus said.

"Then I'm up again!" Emma called out. "I play Miracle Fusion! Now, I can banish Elemental HERO Ocean and the Woodsman in my grave to fusion summon a monster!" Woodsman appeared again, before leaping up with Ocean into a swirling field of colour.

"Master of water, make your appearance and strike down all evil! Fusion Summon! Divine Freeze! Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!" A man wearing white armour, complete with a flowing white cape, descended from above, ice crystals forming where he landed, folding his arms. (Lvl 8 2500/2000).

"Absolute Zero, attack Ebon Magician Curran with Complete Freeze!" Her monster slammed the ground with his fist, a huge torrent of ice crystals shot across, skewering Luna's monster.

"Leo, I brought you another round, make it count!" Emma called. "I end my turn!"

"I'm up!" Luna said, drawing. "And it's game over. You forgot about my Golden Ladybug, didn't you?" She revealed the card in her hand.

* * *

 **M/L: 5900  
E/L: 0**

* * *

Emma grasped her head in disbelief. "No! How could I have forgotten that?! Stupid me!" She complained, as the holograms faded.

"You narrowed your mind to what it thought was the weakest link, which was Luna's field. Therefore, you didn't pay attention to the continuous effects coming from Solemn Wishes and Golden Ladybug." Marcus told her, his duel disk shutting down. "If you had attacked Blue-Eyes, you would have been left with 100 lifepoints, but Zero would have destroyed all monsters we controlled, leaving your fate up to Luna's next draw."

He smiled, "Just remember to try and see the bigger picture, and examine all possible outcomes."

"You actually beat me sis," Leo smirked, as they all headed back inside.

"But Marcus did all the heavy hitting, he was why I won," Luna told them.

"Don't be modest, you deserve the credit, all I did was smash some monsters, nearly all damage to them was by your deck," Marcus reminded her.

"It was luck, nothing more," Luna pressed.

"Just let this win help boost your confidence," Emma told her.

* * *

"Wow Marcus, this is great!" Leo said, after swallowing a spoonful of stew.

"I'm going to agree with Leo, this tastes awesome," Luna nodded.

"I don't brag often, but one thing mom taught me when I was young was how to make a mean stew," Marcus said, dishing up two more bowls, handing one to Emma before sitting down and taking a taste himself.

"Hmm, just like Mom made it," He chuckled.

After dinner, Marcus did the dishes and Leo wiped them up, meanwhile Luna and Emma had a little duel on the table.

"Hey Leo, that combo you pulled off earlier was good, a lockdown play like Magnen or Marauding Captain is a good way to prevent any monsters from being defeated, tell me, did you have Boarden in your hand?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, why?" Leo asked.

"Remember, if Boarden is in attack mode, all your monsters can bypass your opponent's, allowing you to pummel away at their lifepoints with a direct assault," Marcus pointed out.

"Oh yeah! That's right! Next duel I have, I'll try and get him out with Boomboxen and Scopen or something," Leo said.

"That's it, always think of new combos you can play, even when you're not duelling, just don't do it when you should be studying," Marcus told the male twin.

"Hey Luna? What is it?" Emma asked, getting their attention. Luna seemed to be shaking or something. Suddenly she was on her feet, sprinting for the door.

"Luna?!" Marcus asked, running after her with Leo right behind him. "Emma, stay here for now."

Luna was about to get in the elevator when Marcus and Leo joined her. "What is it kid?" Marcus asked her.

Luna didn't answer, when the elevator came out in the basement, the green-haired girl ran out to come to a stop in shock. Marcus and Leo came up behind her.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Leo asked. Luna pointed silently, and Marcus and Leo followed her gaze. A young man wearing a red helmet, a blue coat and black pants was lying unconscious in a pile of trash. Next to him was a sleek red duel runner.

"Whoa, hey! You ok?!" Marcus asked, rushing to help. He rolled the man onto his back, and pulled off his helmet, revealing raven-black hair with yellow stripes. His eyes fell to the yellow marker underneath his left eye.

He ignored that for now, "Ok, Leo, Luna, get him upstairs," He said, taking command. The twins nodded, rushing up to get under his arms, carefully dragging him back to the elevator banks. Marcus turned to the Duel Runner, left down here, it could be stolen. So, he put the helmet on the seat, then rolled the vehicle to the lift.

Marcus wheeled the runner into the penthouse, leaning it on the wall by the door. Leo and Luna put the man on the couch, and Marcus walked over to see if he had any wounds.

"Leo, get the first aid kit, Luna, can I have a bowl of water? Emma, help me remove his jacket," Marcus told the kids, who went to work.

"Who is he?" Emma asked, as Marcus lifted the man's back up to help take off his blue coat. She looked at the marker, "Is he a bad guy?"

"What have I told you? Never judge someone by their appearance, judge them by their character," Marcus said. Leo and Luna came back with the medkit and water, and Marcus set to work, cleaning and bandaging some bruises and scrapes on his arms and one big one under the black tank top he wore.

Marcus then took his deck out, leaving it on the table next to him, Luna fetched a blanket, and put it over the man's form. "Ok, that's all we can do until he wakes up, bed time for you kids."

"No, we can manage, we want to be here when he wakes up," Leo said, then yawned.

"Nice try little man, bed, go," Marcus told him. "I'll keep watch over this guy."

"Marcus, you'll have to put the ramp up for me to get upstairs and come down," Emma reminded him.

"Right," Marcus nodded, fetching a pair of long wooden planks that he put on the stairs. He then pushed his sister upstairs, before Luna took her to the bathroom.

"Night Marcus," Leo said, before he headed into his room.

"Sleep well Leo," Marcus nodded back. He glanced down at their guest. _Who are you? And why did you wipe out down there?_


	6. Chapter 6: Junk vs Dragons!

**I love this chapter, as I get to write Yusei's duel style myself! Don't worry, just because they duel here, doesn't mean that this'll be their only duel either, these two will clash many times in the future!**

 **As always, read and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Junk vs Dragons**

 **Title Song: Yusei's battle theme**

* * *

Marcus yawned, waking from the armchair he had fallen to sleep in, glancing over, he saw the man from last night was still asleep.

"Morning Marcus," Luna's voice came from the stairs.

"Up first eh? Where's your brother and Emma?" Marcus asked.

"Leo's a heavy sleeper, like your sister, I figured I get started on breakfast and see if the smell of some bacon would get them to wake up," Luna shrugged. She glanced at the man on her couch, an uneasy look on her face.

"You don't trust him, do you?" Marcus asked her. "Because of his mark."

"Marcus, you know that mark means he's been in the Facility, he could have stolen that runner, or maybe he-"

"Let me stop you right there Luna. Let me tell you something my dad told me on my first day of school," He invited her to sit next to him on the other couch. "'Never judge a person because of what's outside. If you do, then you'll never make friends.' You know what it means?"

Luna thought about it, "It means that I should judge someone depending on their character inside, right?" She said.

"That's it. You're a smart kid, I know you'll become a very successful young woman one day," Marcus put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, about that breakfast. You get the bacon, I'll handle the eggs?" He asked, causing her to giggle.

"I smell food," Leo mumbled. "Ok, ready Emma?" He asked, holding her wheelchair's handlebars.

"Yup, remember, slowly," the raven-haired girl said. Leo nodded, walking down the ramp slowly, steering at the midpoint before heading down the second flight with care.

"Morning sleepyheads!" Marcus called. "Breakfast is on the worktop for you."

"Smells good, whatever it is," Emma smiled. "Did our guest wake up yet?"

"Nope, but he'll get your food if you don't eat up," Luna said.

The sound of mail filtering through the door got Marcus to stand up and go fetch it. "A bill, advert for new duel packs, letter for Luna," He muttered, sifting through the small pile of mail.

"Let me see," Luna said, and Marcus casually tossed the letter to her. She opened it, and took out the contents.

"What is it?" Emma asked. In response, the green-haired girl handed it to her.

"'Dear Miss Luna, you have been selected at random to participate in the upcoming tournament, _THE_ _FORTUNE CUP!?'"_ Everyone looked at her, then back to Luna. "WHAT!?"

"That's unbelievable. Gimme," Marcus took the letter, re-reading it four times. "It's genuine, Luna, this is incredible!" He breathed.

Luna looked nervous, "I'm not sure… I've never duelled in front of a crowd before, so I'm worried I might mess up, and there's the fact that whenever I duel... I end up in the Spirit World," She mumbled.

"But you didn't have that problem yesterday, you were strong, you made careful plays and you won," Emma said.

"Hey, don't worry, worrying is what causes mistakes, remember, like Emma said, you were calm and calculating, your deck will be with you anyway," Marcus said.

"And if you don't want to go, then I'll take your place," Leo said. Five seconds passed, before Marcus and Emma laughed, and Luna giggled. "What'd I say?"

"Never took you for a cross-dresser Leo," Emma said between fits of laughter.

"Luna practically wears the same as me anyway, I don't care about the colour," Leo shrugged.

"Well, let Luna decide, and if she doesn't want to on the day, then you can sneak in as her," Marcus told him.

"Oh alright," Leo sighed.

"Attaboy," Marcus rubbed his head.

"Hey Luna, talk to this guy's card spirits, see what they say about him, maybe find out why he was in that alleyway last night," Leo said.

Luna put a hand on the man's deck, and closed her eyes. "They say he's a really good person, but they also say he's sad."

"Why's he sad?" Leo asked.

"Leo, don't intrude on the guy," Marcus sighed. Then he heard movement from the couch. "Hey look, he's waking up."

The young man lifted his head, looking up to see the twins, Emma and Marcus sat there, looking at him.

"Who are you?" He asked, jolting up with a start. Then, he grit his teeth, feeling pain from the bandaged spot on his stomach.

"We found you in the alley downstairs!" Luna said.

"You wrecked your bike," Leo added.

"You wouldn't wake up!"

"So we brought you up here!"

"You're heavy!"

Marcus pulled both twins away, "Stop, you're overloading the guy," He told them both.

"Take it easy, from what I could see, you took a fall off your runner into a pile of trash downstairs, I patched up what I could see, how're you feeling?" He asked.

"Just a little sore, thanks, who are you?" The man asked again.

"Well, the green duo here are Leo," He put a hand on the boy's head, "And Luna," he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Emma, nice to meet you," His sister said.

"And I'm Marcus," He introduced himself last. "What's your name stranger?"

The man looked around, reaching for his deck on the table. "I have no idea," He muttered.

"Wow, I've never met someone with amnesia before," Leo said.

"Where are we?" The stranger asked, standing up.

"This is Leo and Luna's penthouse in the tops," Marcus said, as Luna opened the curtains with a wave of her hand, activating the motion sensor.

"How did I end up in that alleyway?" The man asked.

"Not sure, but we've got to figure out a way to get you your memories back…" Marcus said. "But first, how about some breakfast? I'll rustle up some bacon and eggs for you while you take a shower, Leo, could you take him up there?" He said.

The man nodded, and Leo showed him the bathroom. Marcus and Luna worked to make him some food. "So, what do you think?" He asked her.

"It's hard to judge someone when there's nothing to judge," Luna admitted. "But I think he might be alright after all. At least… that's what his monster spirits say."

"That's right… you can communicate with Duel Spirits, can't you? Only a select few get that ability you know," Marcus said, shifting the eggs to the plate.

"It's nothing special, I mean… I don't remember much... I've been told that when I was three, I collapsed in a coma, but when I woke up, I said I had been in the Spirit World."

"What do you think now?" Marcus asked.

"I haven't been there in nine years, so I'll assume that the spirit world's been fine," Luna shrugged, scooping up the bacon and adding it to the plate. "Maybe the reason I drift into the spirit world is because I'm nervous and unfocused... I was the opposite yesterday, so I was fine."

"Smells good," The two looked back to see the raven-haired man coming back down.

"Just in time, here, a perfect wakeup call to the tops from your chefs of the day," Marcus chuckled, taking the plate over to him at the table.

"So… you've forgotten who you are," Emma said, deep in thought.

"Yep, it's a blank slate, I can't remember a thing," The man said.

"Hmm… would having your jacket on help?" Luna offered.

"Maybe, I'll finish this amazing food, then we'll see what happens," the stranger said, digging back into the meal before him.

"I have a better idea…" Marcus muttered. He glanced over to a wall of Jack Atlas posters and figurines, including a model of him on his runner, and his ace monster, Red Dragon Archfiend.

"Still can't believe you got one of those Red Dragon Archfiend models, they cost a fortune," Emma mumbled to Leo.

"If there's one teaching from Jack that I'll listen to, it's that the way a duellist duels reveals who he truly is. Also, I don't know why, but I feel like you're a strong duellist, amnesia or not," Marcus said, grabbing his duel disk from the table.

"Hmm…" The man seemed to think, suddenly a flash of recognition appeared in his eyes. "You know… I'm not sure… but I think you remind me of someone, I'm not sure who, but someone. This might be a good idea."

He put the plate on the table, put on his jacket and the strange bracer that he had on his left arm, slotted in his deck, and walked over to his red runner by the door. Marcus followed him, genuinely curious at the machine.

The man pressed a button on the back of the runner, and the card slots came together, before lifting up out of the middle. " _Disengaging Duel Disk,_ " An automated voice said. The man put his arm underneath, attaching it to the bracer on his arm.

"Not bad," Marcus whistled. "Shall we take this outside?" He chuckled.

* * *

The two men stood opposite each other beside the pool. "Let's duel!"

* * *

 **S: 4000  
M: 4000**

* * *

"You can have the first move Marcus," the Stranger said.

"Alright, I draw!" Marcus smirked. "I summon Dragon Knight of Creation in attack mode!" A man wearing a golden helmet, chestplate, belt, arms and legs, his chest was bare and he wore a white cloth from the waist down. In his right hand was a massive sword. (Lvl 4 1800/600).

"Then, I'll end my turn with a face-down," Marcus said.

"Then I'm up," The stranger said, drawing his card. "I summon out Quillbolt Hedgehog in defence mode!" He said. An orange rodent with a large number of screws and bolts in his back appeared. (Lvl 2 800/800). "I'll then set two face-downs and end my turn."

"Not a very productive round…" Marcus muttered, drawing. "I'll summon Eclipse Wyvern to the field in attack mode!" He said, his black and white dragon appearing on his field. (Lvl 4 1600/1000). "Dragon Knight, attack Quillbolt Hedgehog with Creation Blade!" Marcus commanded.

His knight leapt over the field, before slashing through the defending monster. "When Dragon Knight destroys an opponent by battle, I can send from my deck to the graveyard, one level 7 or 8 dragon type monster. I'll put my Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand in the graveyard!"

"Next, Eclipse Wyvern, attack him directly!" His dragon flew across the field, claws raised.

"I activate my trap, Scrap Iron Scarecrow!" The man said, a literal scarecrow made from items found in the scrapyard flipped up, catching the claws of Eclipse Wyvern. "This stops your wyvern's attack, then is placed back down for later use.

"That'll prove to be annoying," Leo muttered.

"Marcus will jump over it somehow," Emma assured them.

"I'll end my turn," Marcus said.

"Then it's my move," The stranger said, drawing his card. "I summon my favourite tuner monster! Junk Synchron!"

A stubby little man in orange armour and a motor engine on his back appeared. (Lvl 3 1300/400). "When Junk Synchron is summoned to the field, I can summon one level two or lower monster from my graveyard, so come back, Quillbolt Hedgehog!"

His familiar bolted rodent emerged beside the first monster.

"I'll now have Junk Synchron tune with my hedgehog, to bring out a very old friend of mine! Gathering Stars will call upon a new force! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!" He chanted, as a tall purple armoured, leaner version of the little orange dude appeared in front of him. He also had the same engine motor on his back, as well as a pair of helicopter rotors. His eyes lit up, before he struck an attack pose. (Lvl 5 2300/1300).

Marcus gave a whistle of approval, "Not bad, a classic synchro monster, haven't seen him in years," He chuckled. "I respect you for the old combo good sir."

"Then you should know what might happen when Junk Warrior attacks Eclipse Wyvern! Go! Scrap Fist!" Junk Warrior flew across the field, slamming a glowing yellow fist into Marcus' dragon.

* * *

 **M: 3300**

* * *

"Thanks for that, I play Eclipse Wyvern's effect, when it's destroyed, I can banish one level 7 or higher light or dark attribute dragon monster from my deck, and if Eclipse is banished, then that card is added to my hand. I choose the level 10 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Marcus said, taking a card out of his deck, and putting it in his pocket.

"Not sure what you're planning, but I'll end my turn all the same with a face-down!" Stranger man said, slapping the card into his disk.

"Then it's back to me, draw!" Marcus said. "I banish my light attribute Eclipse Wyvern to summon the Black Dragon Collapserpent!" His black, orange and blue dragon appeared from a black hole on his field.

"And since Eclipse Wyvern was banished, I can add my Red-Eyes back to my hand! Next, I remove Black Dragon on the field from play to summon this mighty beast!" Marcus called.

A huge black metallic dragon appeared on his field, two shining red eyes gleamed, before it reared up, giving a huge roar. (Lvl 10 2800/2400). "Now I play it's effect, once a turn, I can summon one dragon type monster from my hand or graveyard! So, please drop to your knees and kneel."

"Mighty lord of the land and the sky, descend upon the world and rule your subjects! Revival Summon! Bring order, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" A huge dragon with gold and white scales flew up from behind the building, landing beside Darkness Metal Dragon. (Lvl 8 2800/2800).

"Now for his effect! When my Lord Felgrand graces the field with his presence from the graveyard, he has the power to purge a monster on your field or in your graveyard, also known as removing it from play! Junk Warrior, time for you to leave!" Marcus pointed to the purple warrior.

"I play my trap card! Synchro Out! By returning one synchro monster I control to the extra deck, I can bring out it's materials!" The stranger said. "This cancels your dragon's effect since it's target is gone." Both Junk Synchron and Quillbolt

"True, I summon the tuner monster Galaxy Serpent!" A small white dragon appeared on his field. (Lvl 2 1000/0). "Then I'll set a face-down!" The card appeared before him, "You're not the only one with synchro monsters friend! I tune level two Galaxy Serpent with level eight Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!"

"Flames of Purgatory, rise up and burn everything that stands in your way! Synchro Summon! Blaze the world, Trident Dragion!" A three headed, red and white scaled dragon appeared from the sky, and flew above Marcus. (Lvl 10 3000/2800).

"Not good for the other guy," Luna observed.

"Not good is not wrong! When Trident Dragion is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy up to two cards I control and he gains one extra attack for each! So I think I'll scrap my own face downs to give him the full package!"

"Geez… overkill much?" Leo asked.

"Not really, He needs the full three attacks to even touch the guy," Emma said.

"Right, he basically has four monsters with 2800 + attack out there," Luna nodded.

"First, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon will attack Quillbolt Hedgehog!" Red-Eyes flapped his wings, and a black wave washed over the small monster, crushing it.

"Next, head number one, attack Junk Synchron!" One of his three headed dragon fired a column of raging fire that reduced the tuner monster to slag.

"Head number two! Attack him directly!" Marcus went on.

"I reveal Scrap Iron Scarecrow! I'm not out of this duel, not yet!" The man said, the fire bouncing off his shielding trap.

"You stopped attack number 2, but head number three, hit him now with Purgatory Scorching Flare!" the final head fired another blast of flame, and the man covered up as he was engulfed in fire.

* * *

 **S: 1000**

* * *

"I end my turn with a face-down," Marcus said. "You have one turn to pull a miracle out of the hat," He said.

The man nodded, drawing his card. Glancing at it, he nodded, "I end my turn with one card face-down."

 _No monsters or back row? Someone's reached a brick wall_. Marcus smirked, drawing. "I play my Red-Eyes Darkness' effect again! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, return again, and remove his Junk Synchron from play!" (3100/3100). "Now! Trident Dragion, annihilate his lifepoints!" All three heads charged up.

"I play Swift Scarecrow! By discarding this friend of mine from my hand, I can negate a direct attack, and end the battle phase!" The stranger called out.

Marcus frowned, "So you bought another turn, alright, I end mine."

"Then it's my move!" The man drew. "I discard a monster card from my hand to summon Quickdraw Synchron!" The guy said, before a small mechanical man wearing a poncho, a cowboy hat and a holster appeared on his field. (Lvl 5 700/1400).

"I then play Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect from my graveyard! If I control a tuner monster, then I can summon him! Next, I play the Give and Take trap, so I present you with Swift Scarecrow," He said, as a metal coil with a straw hat and a pair of arms holding sticks appeared on Marcus' field, before bluing out into defence mode. (Lvl 1 0/0).

"Now, Quillbolt Hedgehog receives a tune up from Quickdraw Synchron, and when Quickdraw is used for a synchro summon, he can temporarily take the name of any other Synchron monster to summon a monster!"

"Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" A huge green ogre-like monster appeared on his field, with a large turbo engine strapped to his back. (Lvl 7 2800/1800).

"I then activate the quickplay spell Forbidden Lance! I can target one monster on the field and have it lose 800 attack points, making it unaffected by any other spells and traps! I target Red-Eyes!"

Red-Eyes claimed a silver spear in his hand, and he seemed to shrink up as his points dropped. (2000/2400).

"When I activate a spell card during my turn, Nitro Warrior then gains a thousand attack points!" Nitro gave a roar of approval as his attack power increased. (3800/1800).

"Now attack Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon with Dynamite Crunch!" The man commanded, his monster falling upon Marcus' dragon with fists glowing green. Marcus covered up as his lifepoints fell.

* * *

 **M: 1200**

* * *

"I'm still standing!" Marcus pointed out.

"Not for long! When Nitro Warrior destroys a monster, he can switch one monster you control to attack mode…" Swift Scarecrow tried to look intimidating as it switched. "… And then he can attack again, for minus a thousand attack points." (2800/1800).

Marcus yelled as his life points were depleted completely.

* * *

 **M: 0**

* * *

"Wow, I don't think I've ever had such a comeback into defeat before, well played friend," Marcus chuckled.

"Thank you, Marcus, you gave a good fight," The man said.

"By the way, during the duel, I noticed you saying things like 'One of my favourites'. Did your memory come back?" Marcus asked.

"It did, and I have you people to thank for it," He turned to the kids, who were coming over.

"So… what's your name then?" Emma asked.

"See this marker? Sorry, but the less you know about me, the safer you'll be," The man said, pointing to his cheek.

"At least stay the night, it's getting late," Marcus said, glancing up at the sun, which was already setting.

"Hmm," The man mused.

* * *

Marcus opened his eyes, hearing the sound of tapping and clinging sounds. He was sleeping in Leo and Luna's parents' room, as the bed fit his taller frame than a sleeping bag did.

Stepping out onto the upper walkway, he noticed that the stranger was awake, twiddling with the twins' duel disks. "And what do you think you're doing?" He asked, leaning against the railing.

The raven-haired duellist looked up, and sighed. "Sorry if I woke you up," He said. "Go back to sleep, I'll be quieter."

"You could have fooled my old nanny with that false promise, but I don't fool so easily," Marcus said, eyes narrowing. "You're cutting and running. Aren't you?" he asked.

The man sighed again, "I'm sorry, but I need to get out of here," He said.

Marcus vaulted over the railing, coming to land in a controlled crouch on the ground level.

"Hold it friend, before you leave, I have something for you," Marcus said, he walked over to him, grabbed and went to his bag, pulling out a case of cards. Pulling out a number, he looked back to the man.

"I noticed you're running a junk deck. Random monsters that on their own, look like nothing much, but work well when together. I want you to take these four cards, they might come in handy when you need an extra hand," he said.

The man looked down at the cards, and his eyes widened, as in Marcus' hand were the cards Jet Synchron, Jet Warrior, Junk Giant and Junk Servant. "Thank you, these will prove to be extremely helpful. And I have some cards that might help your dragon deck," The man walked over to his runner, and lifted up the seat, revealing a small case of his own.

Marcus gasped as he saw the cards that had been handed to him. "I've been looking everywhere for these! Thank you so much."

The man was holding the cards, Castle of Dragon Souls, White Dragon Wyvernbuster, Dragon's Mirror and Five-Headed Dragon. "Where'd you even find Five-Head?"

"I admit, I got it through less than acceptable means, in a street duel, if you lose, you gave up your best card," The man said, as they shook hands for the trade.

The man then looked down at a smaller version of Leo and Luna's duel disks, several of the excess components nearby.

"The twins are going to freak when they find you left without a goodbye or even a note, don't worry, I can keep your secret," Marcus said, as the guy headed for the door.

"Let me walk with you to the exit, it's the least I can do for such a great duel today," Marcus offered, grabbing his own white jacket. "I insist."

The two wheeled the red duel runner into the elevator, "You built this thing?" Marcus asked him.

"Yup, from the ground up," The stranger said.

"I'm still not too certain about turbo duels, people get hurt by those crashes sometimes," Marcus admitted, "But it's fun watching them on TV."

"Marcus, you promise to continue to protect those kids, your sister and the twins," the man said.

The two stepped out of the elevator, and walked down to the crossroad. Suddenly, a headlight lit up, almost blinding them.

"I was starting to think you didn't like me!" A gruff voice said. Marcus' eyes settled to the light, seeing a Sector Security officer on a duel runner waiting there.

"You know him?" Marcus asked.

"I'm here to take you in Yusei, and if you get in the way, new guy, I'll take you in too," The officer said to him. He looked to the man he had identified as Yusei.

'Yusei' mounted his runner, about to make a hasty escape. "That's what I was hoping you'd do," the officer grinned. Suddenly, more lights lit up the intersection, this time, a black limousine rolled up to them.

The back door opened, and out walked a clown man. He was dressed in a red coat with a black collar and gold trim, underneath was a white shirt with gold lining, gloves and black and golden boots. His face had red lipstick, two red lines ran vertically down over his eyes, and he had spiky purple hair.

"Officer Trudge. Shouldn't you be guarding the Candles and Calendars kiosk at the Outer Rim Mall?" He asked in a high-pitched voice. The mentioning of the Officer's supposed shift made Marcus snigger quietly.

"I didn't get your name short-stack," Trudge fired back.

"Special Deputy Lazar. I work for the Director General, and I outrank you." The man said, revealing some ID. "Sorry." Then he gave a dark laugh which gave Marcus shivers.

"How come I've never heard of you?" Trudge demanded.

"I'm here on official business, Officer Trudge. I would advise you leave immediately," Lazar said.

"This punk's a menace! He stole that duel runner from the impound centre! He should-!"

" _Officer._ " Lazar's voice was firm. "There is very little place in this city for street beat cops who don't know their place or _when to shut their mouths_."

Trudge growled, and clammed his mouth shut. "So what official business are you on?" Asked Yusei.

"Delivery. For Mr Yusei Fudo, Mr Marcus Cersy, and his sister Emily Cersy," Lazar said.

Marcus felt sweat drip down his spine, "Me and my sister? What do you want with us?" He asked, snatching the letters that looked a lot like the one Luna got this morning.

Yusei took his, which seemed to have an extra piece of paper, and he gasped, causing Marcus to blink. "We'd like for you to participate in the Fortune Cup. If you refuse, Mr Fudo, then the four people you see in that photograph will pay the penalty for the rogue actions you took in obtaining that runner."

He then turned to Marcus, "As for you, we understand that your sister is paralysed from the waist down. Such a tragic accident for a girl her age. If you choose to participate, then depending on your position at the end, we will provide medical funding to allow the girl to receive a pair of prosthetic legs, and for you to get out of that tiny place you call home."

Marcus froze up, upon hearing two things, causing him to be conflicted. The possible chance for his sister to walk again made him ecstatic. And it would be paid by the government. But then he was also furious, at the threat Yusei had received.

"Have a good evening," Lazar chuckled, walking back to his car, and driving away. Marcus walked a little distance from Yusei.

"Yusei… I'm sorry… but if we duel in this cup, and I have a chance to earn my sister some brand-new legs, I can't go easy on you, now that we are officially competitors," He stuttered.

"I understand Marcus. But my friends… I can't let them get taken down because of my actions," He said, gritting his teeth.

"Here, I'll leave you with my contact details, so we can meet again someday," Marcus said, handing Yusei a card. This had his face and mobile number, so he could be contacted.

"I'll be sure to call you when I have a place to crash," He said, and with that, his runner purred to life, the seat shifted, and the back arc seemed to roll up.

"Take care man, don't stir up more trouble until the tournament," Marcus said, backing up. Yusei nodded, and shot away at a pretty good speed.

Marcus glanced down at the pair of letters in his hand. _I'm going to need to bring my A-game… or Emma will never walk again._

* * *

 **Marcus: The plot thickens! Marcus and Emma are added to the Fortune Cup roster.**

 **Sarah: When are we coming back in?**

 **Daiki: And what about me?**

 **Marcus: Ok, ok. One at a time, and the answer to both of your questions is, I won't tell you. Toodles!**

 **All: Next time: Players and Pieces!**


	7. Chapter 7: Players and Pieces

**I feel almost embarrassed with this, but I've had this chapter sat on FanFiction waiting to be uploaded for weeks now. Only now have I decided to actually edit the thing and get it posted.**

 **No duels this chapter, just the thickening plot!**

 **I only own my OCs, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds belongs to Konami and 4kids!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Players and Pieces**

 **Title Song: Thrawn's Web by Kevin Kiner**

* * *

"Wrench," Sarah passed her sister the required tool. Kione took the piece of equipment and tightened up some bolts. Last night, a Sector Security duel runner was brought in, and it had clearly seen better days.

Kione rolled out from underneath, "Alright, that should do it," She muttered, wiping some sweat from her brow. "Just need to let SS know it's done."

"Wait, you're done?!" Mako asked incredulously, walking over to take a close look at the runner.

"Mako, who do you think helped me put the Black Spirit together?" Sarah chuckled. "Kione's a little techno expert when it comes to mechanics."

"It's flawless, nice job kid," Mako nodded, patting her on the back. "I'll go call Security to come pick it up." He walked away to his office.

Sarah walked back to where her sleek, smooth runner sat by the entrance with a bucket of water hanging from her arm, to where her vehicle was behind a screen to keep it hidden from prying eyes.

She then pulled out a sponge and gave her runner a good wash down. She went about this for the next ten minutes, making sure the Black Spirit let her see her own reflection on the bodywork.

"You missed a spot," A voice said, and a gloved hand pointed to a grime mark.

"Oh, thanks," Sarah said, wiping it away. "Wait… who said that…?" She asked, glancing up.

A purple haired, short man stood nearby, wearing a red coat. "I did. My name is Lazar, and I work for Sector Security."

Sarah panicked internally, _did they already find out?_ She asked. "O…k, may I ask what you are doing here?" She asked calmly.

"You can drop the act Miss Radcliffe, we know you and your sister are from the Satellite," Lazar said, producing a profile. "Observe, this shows the route taken by two former attendees of the Facility. It clearly shows that they crossed the sea, before driving into Neo Domino City, eventually reaching this workshop."

Sarah grit her teeth, this clown had done his homework. "So, where are the officers? Let me guess, they've got the building surrounded and will either disperse or advance depending on this conversation."

"There are no officers. I have come here today to make a delivery," Lazar said, producing two envelopes from his coat. "These are two invitations to participate in the Fortune Cup."

"You mean that tournament which is coming up at the end of next week?" Sarah asked. "How'd we get invitations? We're not special, we're not even registered as Neo Domino citizens." She took the two letters from him.

"That doesn't matter, Miss Radcliffe. But, I'll tell you, that if you decline this invitation, then you, your sister and Mr Takashi will all be heading off to the Facility, your duel runner and disk will be melted down into paperclips, and your deck will be burnt," Lazar told her.

"What?" Sarah demanded.

"That was all I had to deliver. Good day," Lazar said, before leaving calmly. Sarah glanced down at the invitations.

"I can't let Mako fall for my mistakes… He's done so much here," She mumbled.

"Sis? I'm going to head out for a bit, you know, scope out the area," Kione said, walking past her runner and out the garage.

"Ok, take care, and don't cause trouble," Sarah told her.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Kione laughed, "Later!"

Sarah watched her leave, "She's happy now, happier than she's ever been," She muttered. "Time I did some digging." She reached down, and pulled out the connection bolt that was linking her duel runner to the sidecar. Then, she pulled on her helmet, "Mako! I'm headed out to see some sights!"

"Ok! Be back before 8!" Mako called back.

Sarah took off, heading out in the opposite direction to where Kione went, she needed to find someone who knew answers.

* * *

Marcus walked down the streets of Neo Domino, he had received a call from Yusei, saying he had a place to hide out at. Now, Marcus was following the directions he had been given, before arriving at a garage door that was shut.

He knocked six times in rapid succession, and the door lifted up to reveal Yusei, who was crouched next to his runner, a laptop open and his fingers flying over the keys.

"Hey Yusei, glad to see you've been left alone by that Trudge fella," Marcus said. He then noticed who had opened the garage, a man a head taller than him, wearing a white shirt under a green sleeveless jacket and brown pants. He had black/brown hair and brown eyes.

"You one of Yusei's friends?" The man asked.

"Yup, I'm Marcus, you are…?"

"Call me Blister, I'm the guy that helped Yusei get his runner and deck back," He replied, shaking Marcus' hand.

"Man, this place could do with livening up a bit," Marcus shrugged, glancing around, Yusei's red runner stood in the middle, a couch was by the wall and several boxes and shelves were on the other side.

"It's not made for comfort, it's one of my old hideouts," Blister shrugged.

"Fair enough," Marcus smirked.

"So, how'd the twins take to my departure?" Yusei asked.

"As much as you expect, Leo thought you were going to teach him to be the best duellist ever, Luna thought you were a knight in shining armour, only with a deck instead, Emma was the most normal, saying that she thought you were a drifter, looking for a purpose," Marcus listed.

Yusei chuckled at the first two, "Emma's not that far off," He shrugged. "Did I ever tell you why I came to the city?" He asked.

"No, you had amnesia remember?" Marcus reminded him.

"Well, Jack Atlas, who used to be a friend of mine, betrayed me and my friends, he put one of them on a boat, and while I jumped into the water to save him, Jack took my best card, Stardust Dragon, and my first duel runner, and took the pipeline to Neo Domino City," Yusei said. "A few weeks later, he's suddenly at the top of the duelling game here in the city, as their King."

Marcus frowned, "So… Jack's nothing but a crook," he sussed. "I can't tell Emma and Leo about this, those two practically worship the guy."

Yusei sighed, returning to working on his runner, Blister and Marcus both sat down on the couch. "So, what exactly did that purple haired freak say to you, and you, about duelling in the Fortune Cup?" Blister asked.

Yusei reached for his jacket, and pulled his invitation out of a pocket. "It's not what he said, but what he showed me," He said, tossing the letter to Blister with crisp aim.

Blister opened it up, and pulled out a photograph. Marcus glanced over, and saw four males, two tall and lanky men, a shorter but better built man, and a boy, looking a couple of years older than Emma and the twins.

"So, these are your friends, huh?" Blister asked, as Yusei got back to his runner.

"Yeah, and if I don't show up at the Fortune Cup, Goodwin said they'll pay the price," he confirmed.

"As for me, Lazar said that if me and my sister participate, depending on our performance, they'll provide funding for a new pad and new legs for Emma," Marcus said.

"New legs? She crippled or something?" Blister asked.

"Yup," Marcus nodded.

"What's the story with that, she looks a little young to have to put up with that," Yusei asked, not looking up from his runner.

Marcus sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "It happened a while ago, a couple months after we came to Neo Domino City. A classmate of Emma's apparently had some cool ability he wanted to show her. Turned out he was a Psychic, with the power to bring his monsters to life."

He then frowned, "He was showing her one of his best monsters, letting her climb on it and ride around. However…" He paused. "The classmate didn't have full control over his ability, and his monster crashed into an apartment block. He got away with light scrapes, but unfortunately, Emma's legs were crushed by rubble, resulting in her needing that wheelchair."

"What happened to the other kid?" Blister asked.

"Sector Security took him home to his parents, but they were scared and disgusted by his power and his actions that day. He was thrown in the Facility, and then, when he served his time, he found out his parents had cast him out, and he was shipped off to the Satellite," Marcus said. "I didn't like him after hurting my sister, but that was just cruel. No one his age should have gone through that."

"Sorry for bringing up bad memories," Yusei apologised, looking down.

"It's ok… I've since come to terms with the fact that it was an accident, Emma told me a year after his departure, that they had actually shared crushing feelings for each other, and that he showed it to her as a way to impress her," Marcus smiled. "I really want to see him again, and tell him that we forgave him."

"How old was he? When he was shipped off?" Yusei asked.

"Around nine years old. Poor kid…" Marcus sighed.

"I know a couple of people who had a soft spot for kids, it's possible one of them found him," Yusei smiled.

"That's good to hear, man… I hope so," Marcus chuckled.

"Anyway, back to the Fortune Cup," Blister muttered, "It sounds like something Goodwin would do, if it isn't a bribe, it's a threat." He pointed to Marcus, then Yusei as he said this. "Your friends are in the Satellite?"

"Yup," Yusei nodded.

"Aw man…" Blister glanced down at the photo. "Listen, I want to help you."

This caught Yusei's attention, and he looked up at the other man. "I'll check on them, and make sure nothing bad happens." Blister stood, and headed towards another door.

" _You_ can get to the Satellite?" Yusei asked.

"I can get anywhere Yusei," Blister assured him. "Now don't worry. You'll be back with your buds in no time." With that, he stepped through, causing Yusei to look at Marcus, who shrugged.

"Now… how can I help?" Marcus asked.

* * *

A blue haired individual glanced up and down the street, as he stepped out of a building with a bag on his back. "It's been a few days… where might I find a Star Guardian? Or even a Signer for that matter." He waited for a single, black and purple duel runner to shoot by, seeing a young woman on the seat, then crossed the street, heading towards an alleyway.

He then glanced at an extremely tall building, right in the middle of the city. "That might be a good start." He then pulled out his duel disk, and pulled a card from his deck.

"I play Emergency Teleport!" He called out, before vanishing in a glow, reappearing again in an alleyway next to the headquarters of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.

Walking in, he walked to the main desk, "Excuse me, I'd like to see Director Rex Goodwin, sometime today if possible?" He asked.

"Name?" The clerk asked.

"Daiki Izumi, I have a matter of urgency that must be brought to him," the Psychic duellist said.

"Hmm… Director Goodwin is out at the moment, but he is scheduled to return any minute now, if you wait, I can ask that he takes you up with him, to conduct your business," The receptionist said.

"That's fine, I'll sit and wait then," Daiki nodded. He sat down in the lobby, and glanced around. Several Sector Security officers were patrolling the waiting room, and he had seen a number more outside, even more evident that Goodwin was about to return.

He guessed correct, when the man himself walked in through the main entrance, escorted by two officers and a short clown man walking behind them.

Standing, he calmly approached the most powerful man in the city. "Good day Director, my name is Daiki Izumi. I have an urgent matter that I _must_ speak to you about."

Goodwin glanced at the young man, "And what matter might this be? You must understand, Mr Izumi, that I am a very busy man."

"This matter involves a certain prophecy that is soon to come full circle," Daiki whispered.

"Director? Shall we remove this man?" the clown man asked.

"No. Daiki, was it? Please come with me, we shall head up to my office," Goodwin told him. Daiki nodded, calmly following the Director into the Elevator, before heading up to one of the highest floors.

Goodwin lead the way down a number of hallways, stopping before a door and inputting a password, then slashing a card through a scanner.

"Come in, leave your duel disk by the door," Rex said, going around his desk before sitting down.

"What I have to talk about is highly secretive, for your ears only," Daiki said, glancing at the clown man.

"Lazar is one of my most trusted ally, he knows almost as much as me, about the prophecy of the Crimson Dragon and the war with the Shadows," Goodwin said.

"Very well, but what is said here, does not leave this room, understood?" Daiki asked.

"Understood, now… what is it?" Goodwin asked.

"As you know, the Crimson Dragon appeared a few days ago, this was the time when Yusei Fudo duelled Jack Atlas in Memorial Circuit. It was when Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend clashed, that the Crimson Dragon showed up, resulting in a city-wide blackout that night," Daiki said.

"How did you know about the duel between Fudo and Jack?" Lazar asked, "That was an extremely sensitive event that we are keeping tightly under lock and key."

"Because I knew it would happen. See, I am not only a Psychic Duellist, but I also have a very small control over Clairvoyance, and saw Jack duelling Yusei, I didn't know the end of their duel, nor do I care. All that matters is that I knew when you-know-who showed up," Daiki told them.

He cleared his throat, "Anyway, that night, five people around Neo Domino City were chosen for a role. These are the Star Guardians, five individuals tasked with discovering and helping the Signers in their battles to come. I don't know who four of them are, but… I do know who one is."

"The Star Guardians. They are a mere myth," Goodwin said.

"Then is this a myth too?" Daiki yanked off his glove, and showed a black star shape on his hand, as if it wanted to prove it, the shape lit up, slightly startling the two other occupants of the room. "The Guardians are real, this is proof."

"It's true… Lazar, how are the arrangements for the Fortune Cup?" Goodwin asked his advisor.

"Just as you requested, instead of eight duellists, we will have double that amount, we have fifteen so far, including both your elite unit, the suspected Signers and seven others, we have one more invitation, and I think we have found our last competitor," Lazar reported.

"I haven't learnt much from my clairvoyance about the identities of the Star Guardians, just that they are four of the seven duellists you have chosen besides your other two groups of participants, I am eager to learn their identities as much as you are. I will gladly accept the invitation to join you sir," Daiki said, bowing slightly to the Director.

* * *

Marcus hummed the music that Yusei was playing, as they worked on the latter's duel runner. Yusei was testing the acceleration power, while Marcus scrubbed it clean of all the grime and dirt it had accumulated from all it's travels since being freed from the impound.

" _I can hear you breathing. I can see you coming. I can feel the wind, it's blowing me around._ " Marcus sang quietly, Yusei revving his motor multiple times.

"Turn that off?!" Marcus heard Blister through the noise.

"Sorry, we can't hear you over the sound of horsepower," he called back.

"Yusei! It's me! Yanagi!" Marcus found himself backing up as an elderly fellow wearing old brown and yellow clothes, grey hair and a yellow tooth. He had a small yellow mark on his right cheek.

This made Yusei stop, and he glanced at 'Yanagi' and another man, this one younger, but built like a truck, wearing a black shirt under a brown jacket and jeans, he had pale blue hair spiked up and had two yellow marks angling diagonally from his nose. "Yus! Nice place!"

"You're out?!" He asked.

"And it's all thanks to you," Blister smirked.

"When you out-duelled Chief Armstrong, we didn't just get early release, we got way early release!" Yanagi smiled. "So we headed right over to this um… this interesting uh…."

"This place is a dump," The other guy said, bluntly.

"That's what I said," Marcus chuckled.

"Tanner, you said you'd be nice!" Yanagi said to the big man.

"That _was_ nice," Tanner remarked. He put his eyes on the duel runner. "I'm liking the runner though. Twin exhaust, turbo rotor, holo display and your own deck! Bet you wish you had that back in the Facility."

He looked up at Yusei, "What do you say I take it out for a ride, see what she's got? I'll bring it back with a full charge, and not one scratch."

"I would hope not, I just took out all the previous ones, and the muck that looks like it came from a sewer," Marcus said. He then gasped, "I've been rude, name's Marcus." He held a hand out.

"I'm Yanagi, nice to meet you, young man," the old timer said.

"I'm Bolt Tanner, call me Tanner," the body-built man nodded, both shook his hand.

"How about we duel? I win, I get to take it for a spin?" Tanner asked, pulling out a deck.

Yusei seemed to nod, having a smile on his face.

The group headed outside to a clearing across the street. Marcus, Blister and Yanagi stood off to the side, and prepared to watch. Yanagi then began going off about how he was a treasure hunter, looking for the rarest cards. Marcus droned him out, excited to watch a good duel.

"Let's duel-!"

Both were cut off by the sound of an engine fast approaching. All heads turned as a white duel runner with a large single wheel rolled up, sliding into the opening between the two duellists. Marcus was more interested in the rider.

"Hey Jack," Yusei greeted bitterly, as Jack Atlas dismounted.

"Uh oh…" Tanner muttered.

"This should be interesting…" Marcus agreed.

"Uh oh. Why is Jack Atlas here?" Yanagi asked.

"Lessons?" Blister suggested.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, "Careful," He warned them. Blister and Yanagi flinched, but Marcus just walked forward.

"Nice to finally meet my sister's hero," He said, bowing slightly.

"Hmm, you're a respectful one," Jack mused, before glancing at Tanner.

"It's been a long time Atlas. What's up?" He asked.

"My career, thank you very much," Jack said, before looking at Yusei.

"What brings you here Jack?" Yusei asked. In response, the Turbo Duel King pulled a card out of his riding suit pocket, before showing it to Yusei, causing him to gasp.

"I heard you'll be at the Fortune Cup," Jack stated.

"Word travels fast then," Yusei frowned.

"I got a deal for you Yusei, for your Stardust Dragon. You add it to your deck, and if you win, you get to keep the card. I win, I take it back and you and I are straight. Right?"

"Straight? What about my friends?" Yusei asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" Jack shot back.

Yusei pulled out the photograph with his pals on, and showed it to Jack. "Your purple haired bud Lazar stopped by, and if I don't duel, they pay."

"What?"

"Surprised Jack? Well don't be! I know Goodwin's behind all of this, and I can guarantee that he's going to regret putting this Satellite's friends in harm's way."

"Well, then you'll definitely be needing your Stardust Dragon, now won't you?" Jack asked, throwing the card across with a practiced hand. "And just so we're clear, I don't know anything about this threat. I duel for me. Goodwin has his own agenda." The blonde duellist mounted his duel runner, donning his helmet and clicking his disk into place.

"Then I guess I'll see you at the Fortune Cup then," Jack said.

"He's not the only one you'll see Mr Atlas," Marcus said. Jack turned to face him. "I have a question by the way. Did you really help a crippled girl who was being bullied, at Duel Academy?"

Jack paused for a second. "What's the news to you?" He asked.

"She's my sister, and if what she's told me is true, I have you to thank," Marcus said, bowing deeply.

"Hmm… Yeah, I helped her. She's a skilled duellist as well, able to crush her opponent with ease," Jack said.

"She learnt that from you, I'm worried that she's becoming a female, miniature you," Marcus chuckled. "And you'll get to see her, and me, at the Fortune Cup as well, so, we'll see you there."

"Yusei, you'd better bring your A-game then, that kid was strong, and if she was a tough cookie, then I can bet her brother's even stronger," Jack told his rival.

"I know he is, I duelled him, and got lucky," Yusei nodded. "Don't worry, I will make it to the final."

Jack gave a smirk, "Good luck, I hear there's going to be fifteen other duellists after the same position," He said, before whirling his runner around, departing without another word.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, seeing the problem pass. "I _have_ to see that card!" Yanagi yelled, running over.

Yusei showed them all the card, Stardust Dragon. It was a level eight Wind Attribute Synchro monster, with 2500 attack points and 2000 defence points. Marcus knew that if this monster, which looked pretty in the artwork, was summoned, it would be magnificent.

"It's true… that's Stardust Dragon, it's amazing! This is big stuff! You _are_ a Signer!" Yanagi told Yusei. The raven-haired duellist frowned.

"Don't you see?" Yanagi asked. "With that card, you made the Crimson Dragon appear!"

"But Jack was there too," Yusei pointed out.

"Then that must mean that you're both Signers! It means that you're connected!" Yanagi ranted.

"A Signer? What'd you mean?" Marcus asked.

"The Signers bear the marks of the Crimson Dragon, and usually have an extremely rare monster card that goes with it," Yanagi told him.

Marcus glanced at his hand, he hadn't seen the yellow glow once since he saw the massive dragon. "Wait a minute, the Crimson Dragon, that dragon that came out of the Stadium, was that…?"

"It was, and when this red glow appeared on my arm, I felt something other than the stinging pain, curiosity, and courage," Yusei said.

Marcus decided against speaking about that glow, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to head home, I've been out all day and the kids might get worried if I'm not back soon."

"That's fine Marcus, don't tell them you saw me today, alright?" Yusei asked.

"Right, don't worry, I know how to keep a secret, and if I slip-up with your name, I'll say it's the name of a classmate of mine," Marcus smirked.

"Good idea, you can tell them you saw Jack though, that's fine, but don't tell them he stopped and talked, that would raise questions," Yusei smiled back.

"Hey! I'm home!" Marcus called, stepping through the door into Leo and Luna's penthouse.

"Welcome back, Leo went out with Dexter, they were going to see if the Black Rose Witch was real," Luna said, she and Emma were sat at the table, playing a game of chess.

Marcus quickly examined the board, "Emma, I thought I taught you better, Luna's about to win," he chuckled. "But with all seriousness, Leo went hunting myths? I thought he was smarter than that."

Luna glanced up at him, "You give him too much credit," She said, then moved her queen to take Emma's last rook, "That's checkmate," She said, rather smugly.

Emma jolted forward in shock, sure enough, Luna had trapped her king behind her own pawns, her bishop was holding the diagonal line, a knight was able to block any escape, and her Queen was the final nail in the coffin.

"Another game?" She asked.

"That was my tenth win. I'm chess-ed out," Luna sighed.

"I'll take her place," Marcus said, as Emma reset the board.

"Would you believe me if I spotted Jack Atlas revving by on his runner today?" He asked.

"HUH!?" Emma screeched. "You saw Jack Atlas on his runner?" She demanded him.

"It was just a fleeting glance mind you, he was going by at about ninety," Marcus pointed out.

"Where'd you even go today Marcus?" Luna asked, pouring herself a glass of juice.

"I'll take one too Luna," Marcus said.

"And me," Emma nodded.

"As for where I went, I went to see a classmate from Duel Academy, he had a new combo that he thought could beat me. It didn't," Marcus said. "Now… time to make you lose again."

Ten minutes later, "Checkmate," Marcus smirked, he had pinned her king down with both his knights, a pawn and his king of all pieces.

"I just can't win today!" Emma moaned.

Marcus glanced at Luna, "How badly have you beaten her today?" He asked.

"Does a three-turn checkmate answer that?" Luna asked in reply.

"Three turns…! Emma, I've told you that you never push forward your pawn in front of your king first," Marcus chuckled with a small false frown.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss here?" Leo had come home.

"So, how'd your witch hunt go?" Emma asked.

"Complete success," Leo answered, causing everyone to glance at him like he grew another head.

"Explain. Now," Marcus said.

Leo did so, telling them how he and Dexter had gone to the Daimon area, intending to find and duel the Black Rose. There, they encountered 'Mr Amnesia Man' as Leo called him.

Yusei, Leo, Dexter, Blister, Yamagi and Tanner then ran into the Black Rose Witch, along with the Dragon she was named after, Black Rose Dragon. He also mentioned how a red glowing shape appeared on Yusei's arm when Black Rose appeared, and she said that 'He also had a mark'.

"Interesting, the way she said this would let someone assume that she's also got this 'mark of the dragon' that Amnesia guy appears to have," Marcus said.

"We'll have to watch out for her again, sounds like she could do with a hug," Emma said. "And I think that the best way to get through to a lost soul like her is someone like me."

Marcus laid in bed, glancing at his hand. "So… what was that glow?" he mumbled. "It looked like a star shape, yellow, on my hand."

He looked out the window, glancing over in the direction of the Memorial Circuit, "Jack Atlas… If we end up duelling, you will find my deck isn't to be messed with. And Yusei… even though we are friends, we're also rivals now, I know your friends are counting on you, but I can't let Emma down."

* * *

 **Daiki: So, want to explain what's been keeping you from updating this story?**

 **Marcus: Well... Destiny 2 came out a few weeks ago, so I first got hooked with that, Battlefront 2's beta launched yesterday, but ends tomorrow, so I'll probably be playing that a lot. Fortnite's Battle Royale became free on Xbox One, so me and my friends downloaded that for some team survival chaos.**

 **Emma: That's not everything though, is it?**

 **Marcus: She's right. The core reason for my absence is the continuing quest to find a job, rejection never makes it easier, but having it happen again and again is even worse!**

 **Sarah: Tough break, hope you get a job soon man.**

 **All: Next time: Let the Games Begin!**


	8. Chapter 8: Let the Games Begin!

**With SotS finished, I'm happy to say that I can continue with this! YAY! As you may guess, the Fortune Cup is here, so here's how things will work.**

 **Any duel from the anime, in which my characters will have no interaction with the duel itself, will be summarised to the key details, with maybe my character's observations at key points. Also, I had to make a complete bracket field in a Powerpoint Doc just so I could figure out where my characters duel, and there are a LOT of them to come!**

 **I do not own YGO 5Ds, it's property of Konami and 4Kids! I only own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Let the Games Begin**

 **Title Song: Impossible Victory (YGO GX)**

* * *

A week quickly passed, and the news that Marcus and Emma would be participating in the Fortune Cup spread like wildfire, classmates and staff alike were making friendly wagers guessing how far the Cersy siblings would go. But it wasn't the usual negative comments, like saying they'd be out in the first round. No, Marcus in fact heard several comments saying he'd be the one to duel Atlas.

"Alright, it's time to head to Memorial Circuit," Marcus said. He was wearing what he considered to be his duelling outfit, a white longcoat which trailed out behind him, like Jack's own coat, that he left open, revealing a black shirt and black pants. On his arm was his white duel disk, and a pair of black sunglasses were above his eyes.

"All set!" Emma agreed, she was wearing a red cardigan over a dark green shirt, white pants and boots, she put her deck into the box next to her seat, and looked up to her brother.

The two left their apartment, and were surprised to see a black car and a handful of Sector Security duel runners waiting on the street. The window rolled down to reveal a man in a suit.

"You Marcus and Emily Cersy? We've been ordered to escort you to the tournament," He said.

"Not that I'm arguing at a free ride, but why?" Marcus asked, as the door opened, a ramp extending down to the pavement.

"In the past, some of the competitors have been ambushed by people eager to get to the big leagues, they disguise themselves with the victim's clothes and wear a hat or mask to help hide themselves," The suited man said.

Marcus pushed Emma into the car, and her wheelchair locked onto some rails, which rotated to face forward. Marcus then moved around the other side, hopping into the other side.

"Package secure," the man reported. "Let's move out."

* * *

Sarah gave her runner one last look over, "Alright, Kione, let's get moving," She said, glancing back to her sister.

The ice barrier duellist had decided to dress not that different from one of her duel cards, wearing a form fitting dark red shirt with black sleeves, a purple scarf, black snow pants and white high boots. She had white gloves on her hands, and she had done her hair the same too, tied up with the Ice Barrier symbol on both sides. On her arm was a duel disk she had designed and made herself, being an icy blue snowflake shape, with six prongs. When active, the five that faced away from her would extend, becoming where she placed her cards, and the sixth holding her deck.

Sarah herself was wearing a black leather jacket over a purple sleeveless shirt that showed some of her chest. She also wore black cargo pants, gloves and boots.

"All set," Kione nodded.

Sarah smirked, and the two took their seats, Kione settling into the sidecar while Sarah lined her runner up to leave the garage. Mako was waiting by the door.

"I'll be there to watch, I closed the place down, which is what half the city is doing, so I think I'll be fine," He assured them.

"We're sorry for dragging you into this," Sarah said. She had told her boss and her sister about Lazar, and the threat he had made.

"No worries, I suspected they knew something was up," Mako chuckled. "You just focus on duelling to win."

"Don't worry about us, it doesn't matter what we face, we'll blow right through it, won't we?" Kione smirked.

"True, now, I believe you have an escort," Mako said, opening the door with a remote.

Four Sector Security duel runners were stood outside, and one of them was operated by a familiar face, which caused the two siblings to groan slightly.

"Come on you two Satellite trash dwellers, I haven't got all day," Officer Tetsu Trudge growled.

"You are our escort to the Fortune Cup?" Sarah asked.

"I'd rather watch paint dry than babysit you two, but orders are orders, and these come from clown face," Trudge told them.

"Don't sound any more disappointed than you already are," Kione smirked.

Trudge sighed, "Alright men, let's get this over with," He signalled his fellow officers. They all mounted their runners and started them up. Trudge turned back to Sarah, "I hope you can keep up."

"I'll take that as an insult," Sarah shot back.

"It was meant to be," Trudge smirked.

"I hate you."

"I hate you more."

This sort of hateful banter went on for about ten minutes into the journey. Eventually, the two riders ran out of things to throw at each other.

"You know Kione, if we end up against each other, no mercy, one of us needs to win, it doesn't matter who," Sarah told her sister.

"I know, don't expect me to go easy on you," Kione nodded.

* * *

Another five minutes later, The Black Spirit and it's escort got on the highway straight towards the Memorial Circuit, it was then that Sarah and Kione saw two black cars and a red runner.

Kione, sat in the sidecar, glanced across to the rider of the red duel runner. "Yusei?" She asked.

The rider glanced back, "What the…? Sarah and Kione? You're here too?" He asked.

Trudge rolled between them, "No gossip on the move, you can catch up when you get there," He said.

Sarah stuck out her tongue at the officer, causing him to scowl. Kione then glanced at the occupants of the cars. In one, there were two kids with blue-green hair, a kid with brown hair and glasses, a tall man with spiky hair and an old man, in the other, a black haired young man in white and a young girl with the same hair colour in a wheelchair. The girl looked out her window, spotting Kione, and waved with a smile, Kione waved back, also smiling.

The cavalcade broke up as they arrived at the circuit, the black cars headed for a service entrance while the turbo duellists drove into a different garage, where separate bays were designated for them.

* * *

"Participants, you have five minutes before you need to make your way to central stage," A voice said over the PA.

Marcus pushed his sister down the corridors, behind him was Leo, Luna, Dexter, Tanner and Yanagi. A separate corridor linked up, and Yusei, followed by two girls, one in black and purple with blonde hair, the other in red, black and blue and with silver hair.

"… good to see you two again," Yusei was saying to them. "Last time we talked was a few weeks before I came here."

"Yup, we actually saw you being chased by Trudge last Thursday," The girl in black nodded.

"Mr Amnesia man!" Leo smiled, he was wearing all of Luna's clothes and his hair was tied up as well.

"Amnesia man…?" the girl in red asked. "Yusei, what's happened since you got here?"

"That's a story for another time," Yusei chuckled. "Kione, Sarah, meet the Twins, Leo and Luna," He pointed at them the opposite way around, since Luna was disguised to appear more discrete. "Then this is Tanner, Yanagi, Dexter, Marcus and Emma," He pointed to said people in that order.

He then gestured to the girls, "Everyone, I want you to meet a pair of friends of mine from the Satellite, Sarah and Kione Radcliffe," He pointed to the blonde, then to the silvette.

"You guys are the ones who took care of one of Satellite's finest people? Then thank you, he's a good friend of ours," Sarah smirked.

"No problem, he's a great guy to know as a friend," Marcus chuckled.

"Wait… you're from Satellite?" Emma asked. "Don't you like… have marks for being there?"

"Emma, the marks are to tell people they've been in the Facility," Marcus reminded her.

"You're not wrong," Sarah smiled, and rubbed a spot on her face, revealing a yellow mark under her left eye.

Kione nodded, and lifted up her hair, doing the same and showing a lightning bolt shaped mark on the right side of her forehead.

"No secrets here. If Yusei is walking out there with a mark, we will too," Sarah explained. "it wouldn't be fair if we didn't take any heat while he did."

"Very admirable," a voice said from behind them, all heads turned to see a blue haired young man a year older than Marcus walk towards them. "I respect someone who doesn't hide their past."

"I'm sorry… were we talking to you?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah!" Kione scolded her sister. "That was uncalled for."

"No, she's right, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," the blunette held his hands up. "I'm sorry to butt into your discussion, but the opening ceremony is in a minute, we may want to get a move on."

"You're a competitor?" Marcus asked him.

"I am, and I look forward to facing any of you in the upcoming duels," the man said.

"We'd better go find some seats before the good ones are taken, watch your back out there you guys," Tanner observed.

* * *

 _"_ _Duellists one and all. Professional and amateur alike, put your hands together for our Master of ceremonies, Director Rex Goodwin!_ " A large screen was on the wall, as the sixteen competitors stood on platforms that would lift them to the middle of the stage. The duellist MC, known for his red coat and fancy black hair, was getting things underway.

Behind him was a man who looked as plain as could be, wearing practically all grey, a grey jacket and pants over a shirt with a bird pattern on it. Suddenly, a swirl of wind formed, before a large black and crimson red dragon burst out, roaring.

 _"_ _Ladies and gentlemen! Red Dragon Archfiend has taken to the skies! You know what that means…! Let's hear it for the reigning champion. The King of the Cards! The One man who rules the duels! The master of faster himself! Jack Atlas!"_ MC said. The massive dragon swooped around the stadium, before Jack burst from one of the tunnels in a plume of smoke.

Marcus found himself rolling his eyes, "Does he really need that many monikers? The Master of Faster is the only cool one there," He muttered.

Red Dragon Archfiend landed on a wooden podium that was erected on the stage, dropping to one knee. Jack then revved up the side of the track, leaping into the air, performing a spectacular flip before landing on the stage.

The king took off his helmet, and dismounted. " _Neo Domino City! What's say we kick this tournament into overdrive!"_ Jack boomed. " _Let's get this started!"_

MC stood below him, and went on. " _It's time we meet the lucky duellists who were selected for the chance to go head to head with Mr Atlas! The Fortune Sixteen!"_

The monitor turned off, and light filtered down above them as the roof opened, the platforms rising out of the ground. Marcus glanced around, he had duelled in front of a crowd before, but the number of people here was staggering. He quickly picked out Bolt, Dexter, Yanagi and Luna, who were sat together in a row.

"Now, let's hear it for: The always mysterious Shira!" This was a man in a black robe, with two orange plumes of fur on his shoulders.

"The Great Greiger!" Marcus glanced over at a mountain of a man with toned skin, wearing some form of battle armour and carrying a stoic look on his face.

"Commander Koda!" A gentleman wearing a suit, some glasses and had dark green hair.

"The Professor," The next man was wearing a black robe like Shira, but the crowd could see a kind and simple looking man wearing a beret.

"Miss Akiza Izinski!" This woman caught Daiki's interest, and he grit his teeth, knowing that if she was here, the puppetmaster wasn't that far behind. Akiza had burgundy red hair with a hair bracer coiling it up above her face, a red collar was around her neck, and she wore red and white Victorian style clothing.

"Sir Ransborg," Marcus couldn't help but barely supress a snigger here, as he glanced at a man dressed in cosplay as a knight of old. He glanced at Sarah.

"Ten bucks he'll put on a Shakespearean performance against his foe," He whispered.

"I'll take that bet," She chuckled.

"The Lovely Miss Luna," Emma and Luna both facepalmed at Leo's double V and goofy grin.

"Yusei Fudo!" The crowd seemed to silence at this, and Marcus heard whispers and jeers quickly sprouting, causing him to growl.

"Daiki Izumi!" the blue haired man frowned, Sayer definitely knew he was here now.

"'The Dark Empress'," Another person in a creepy black robe.

"Officer Tetsu Trudge!" Sarah, Kione and Yusei all glanced across at that name, and truth be told, the Sector Security officer was stood, saluting to the camera.

"Ken Kaiba!" Everyone turned at the name, seeing a man with short brown hair and an impressive goatee and moustache in a carbon copy of the Great Seto Kaiba's outfit, a white coat, black undershirt and black pants.

"Miss Kione Radcliffe!" Kione shrugged and played with her hair, telltale signs of nerves acting up.

"Sarah 'The Black Spirit' Radcliffe!" Her sister gave a casual salute. More whispers and jeers were passing through the stadium.

"The feisty Miss Emma Cersy!" Emma grinned at what she had been called.

"And her brother, The Ace of Duel Academy, Marcus Cersy!" Marcus folded his arms, giving the camera, and everyone watching, a nod of greeting.

"Yo what are those Satellites doing here!?" A spectator asked.

"I bet you they all stole invitations to be here," Another muttered.

Slowly, an organised chant began to echo through the arena, "Lose the losers! Lose the losers!" Sarah put an arm in front of her sister, and Yusei closed his eyes, seemingly taking the verbal punishment.

Shira growled and Ransborg glanced at Goodwin. The MC was worried at the jeers, but someone big and hulking stepped up, snatching the microphone.

 _"_ _I have to say something_." Greiger boomed, silencing everyone in the stadium. Marcus whistled at his power of crowd control.

"My name is Greiger," He introduced himself properly. "I know things are different in this city, but where I come from, you judge a guy or girl by their spirit." He glanced at the three Satellites. "These kids right here may have been branded as no-goods, but when I look at them, all I see are duellists, and being a duellist myself, that means I have to respect them until they give me a reason not to.

"Because a duellist doesn't judge another duellist based on where they come from, or who's family they have or what money they have. That isn't what really matters!"

With his speech concluded, Greiger walked back to his place in the line, handing the mic to the MC.

Silence stayed in the stadium, until Marcus began to clap. Goodwin then joined in, and it wasn't long before every person in the stadium, even Jack, was applauding Greiger's words of encouragement.

Goodwin then stood, preparing to address the crowds. "Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words. In our world, social status and personal wealth draw a line between ourselves and our fellow man. But I had a vision of a duel tournament that would, if only for a fleeting while, remove that line. A tournament separate from the competition of life, where the haves and the have-nots could meet each other on a level playing field, and prove themselves worthy to each other and to the world.

"Fellow Duellists, Welcome to the Fortune Cup!" Goodwin lifted a fist, causing the masses and some of the duellists on stage to raise their fists in agreement, Marcus, Sarah, Daiki, Greiger and Kaiba being some.

MC took over again, "And now, let's turn our attention to the bracket shuffler, and find out who's duelling who in the first match!" Marcus saw he was up against Kaiba, and gripped his fist. _If he carries more than just the name… I need to prepare for what could be one of the toughest duels in my life._

The first duel was Luna (Leo) against Greiger, and Marcus saw it to be a one-sided war of the machines. Leo pulled off some good combos, even busting out a new monster, Gadget Hauler, which was a truck which morphed into a massive blaster cannon. Emma remarked that Gadget Hauler reminded her of Optimus Prime from the Transformers franchise.

Greiger however had a trap in every corner, summoning the Summon, Trap and Spell Reactors SK, Y FI and RE, whittling down Leo's lifepoints by 800 a piece, until he then brought out what Marcus dubbed 'World War Three', Flying Fortress SKYFIRE.

After giving Leo a pep talk in the hallways, the second duel was Akiza Izinski against Ransborg, before the match, Marcus and Sarah shook hands, making their earlier bet official, and when Ransborg began talking, Marcus found himself ten dollars richer. He then chuckled, turning to Daiki, betting that his accent was just for show, and that if he was pressured, it would break.

Daiki accepted, but counter wagered that he'd be broken, literally. Marcus took the bet, and both watched the duel.

It turned out that Akiza was the infamous Black Rose Witch, brought to light when she summoned her ace monster, Black Rose Dragon. And she broke Ransborg, literally, he was all scorched and scarred by her attacks, which had psychic boosts which made them real.

"… So… the Black Rose is real," Marcus muttered. He turned to Daiki, "Keep the cash, I wasn't expecting something so brutal."

"Emma Cersy, you're next, you're duelling The Empress!" A staff member called out, Emma nodded, Marcus stood, taking his sister's wheelchair and pushing it to the man, who would take her to the stage.

"Hmph, let's hope this kid does better than my opponent," Greiger commented from nearby.

"I'm just wondering what deck the Emperor uses, could be anything," Yusei added.

"Watch and learn you two, Emma will be alright," Marcus told them, returning to his seat.

"We'll see," Daiki shrugged.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sure we're still reeling from that incredible last match, but next up is a duel that will surely make people cheer," The MC called out.

"Our first duellist is the Shadow lady who hides her identity to all, The Dark Empress! And her opponent, the kid who fights on, even with half her body unusable, I give you Miss Emma!" MC said, introducing the two competitors.

"Nice costume, my mom tried it once for Halloween, not very impressive," Emma commented dryly, her duel field already in front of her.

"I'll make you eat those words girl," The Empress said.

"DUEL!"

* * *

 **E: 4000  
DE: 4000**

* * *

"I'll go first," Emma said. "Draw!" She looked at her hand. "I summon Elemental HERO Avian in defence mode!" A man wearing a green feathered suit with two white wings appeared, before crouching into a defensive stance. (Lvl 3 1000/1000). "I'll then end my turn with a face down!"

"Then I draw. I summon Kozmo Soartroopers!" Three men in black armour appeared in front of her, brandishing rifles. (Lvl 3 1000/1000). "Next, I activate their effect, by removing them from play, I can summon a level four or higher Kozmo monster from my hand!"

The soldiers disappeared in a glowing ball, "Appear, Kozmoll Dark Lady!" In the place of the troopers was a masked woman wearing a long black robe with purple lines, a tall pointy hat was on her head, and in her hand, was a purple glowing sword. (Lvl 5 2200/1800).

"Kozmoll Dark Lady, attack HERO Avian now!" the black clothed woman leapt across the field, slashing Avian in two.

"I play a trap!" Emma called, "Since you destroyed a monster on my field, I can play HERO Signal and bring out something that can provide some strong defence, so come on out Elemental HERO Clayman!" Emma's faithful clay guardian appeared, dropping onto a knee and covering up. (Lvl 4 800/2000).

"Tsk… What an annoying inconvenience. In time, he too will fall, and so will you," Empress said.

 _'_ _Edgy!'_ Emma rolled her eyes. The black robed duellist set a pair of cards face down before passing the turn.

"Back to me!" Emma drew her card. "Yeah. This should stop you! I play Polymerization! So by fusing Clayman with the HERO Sparkman in my hand, I'm one step closer to a win!

"Stalwart defender of the earth, merge your might with a crackling thunderbolt!" Emma chanted. "Fusion Summon! Descend! Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!" A literal giant appeared, descending from where her two smaller monsters fused. He had bright yellow and white armour, with a pulsating orb in the middle of his chest, and black battle pants down to big yellow boots. He gave a loud roar as he stomped onto the ground. (Lvl 6 2400/1500).

Marcus smiled from the waiting room, "Good start, with her Thunder Giant out, it's pretty much over," He told the others.

"Maybe… that depends on whether she uses it's effect or not," Greiger observed.

"Agreed, Dark Lady has a pretty nifty effect herself," Daiki nodded.

"I play Thunder Giant's ability! By discarding one card from my hand, I can have him smash up a monster with original attack lower than his! Go! Electrify that Dark Lady!" Emma explained. Thunder Giant raised his large arms above his head, lightning appearing between his hands.

"Kozmoll Dark Lady, make him submit to your will," The Dark Empress said. The witch nodded, hand pointing at the fusion monster and snapping her fingers, making it shatter.

"What was that?!" Emma asked.

"Kozmoll Dark Lady has the ability to negate a monster effect and destroy it, at the mere cost of one thousand lifepoints," Daiki told Marcus, Greiger and Yusei, as the MC filled Emma in.

* * *

 **DE: 3000**

* * *

"I'll set a face down and end my turn!" Emma said, slapping her card onto her board.

"Good, and it's time for you to choose. Join Goodwin in his mission, or lose here," Empress said.

"Does 'none of the above' appear on that list?" Emma replied.

"Very well, I play Dark lady's effect! By banishing her from my field, I can summon a level six or higher monster from my hand! I choose my Level Nine Kozmo Dark Eclipser!" The woman was engulfed in a beam that shot down from black clouds that formed over the stadium. Emma covered up from winds that picked up.

When she looked back, her jaw dropped to the floor. Over Memorial Circuit was a huge star cruiser, with a long, jagged shape, two sharp crags out to the side and a large command tower at the back. (Lvl 9 3000/2600).

Marcus, Greiger, Yusei, Sarah, Kione and Daiki all looked at the screen in shock. Leo, Luna, Dexter, Tanner and Yanagi gasped in fear. Lazar looked terrified, Goodwin looked impressed, and Jack was stood next to them, taking in the size of the monster above them.

"In all my years as a duel caster, I've never seen a monster this big! But despite what looks like overkill, Dark Eclipser really is that big," MC told the crowd, who were cheering for the huge summon.

" _That's a monster?! It's a freaking Star Destroyer!"_ Emma screeched.

"Be afraid, because Dark Eclipser can't be targeted by card effects," Empress sneered, her hood had been blown back, revealing a woman in her thirties, with pitch black hair and piercing yellow eyes.

"Dark Eclipser, crush her life points! Attack with Orbital Bombardment!" Emma glanced up, seeing a number of laser cannons open out from under the ship, all pointed at her, with plans not to get blown off her wheelchair, Emma buckled in, and engaged her brakes.

The cannons opened up, purple laser fire shooting down and slamming into Emma, who couldn't avoid screaming in fear and at the large stinging pains that the game caused.

* * *

 **E: 1000**

* * *

"I… I play a face-down," She stuttered, as the torment ended, "Damage Condenser! When I take damage because of battle, I can use the damage I took, and summon a monster from my deck with attack equal or less than the damage you inflicted. I choose Elemental HERO Prisma!"

A man composed of crystals and prisms appeared in front of her, shining, even though the sky was currently dark due to the massive monster above her. (Lvl 4 1700/1100).

"I end my turn," Empress said.

 _If I want to win now, I need to believe in my heroes, in_ My _hero..._ "I draw!" Emma called, and cracked a smile.

"I activate Elemental HERO Prisma's effect, once a turn, by revealing a fusion monster in my extra deck, and sending one of the materials to the grave from my deck, Prisma's name becomes the name of the sent monster until the end phase."

"I reveal Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, sending Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my deck to the grave!" Emma called.

"I then activate the spell Miracle Fusion! By taking monsters on my field and in my graveyard and removing them from play, I can summon a fusion monster from my deck!"

"Elemental HERO Prisma, take your temporary name and fuse with Elemental HERO Avian in my graveyard!" Emma called.

"Heroine of Flame, merge your power with the Hero of the Wind and pave the way for a new warrior! Fusion Summon! Rise from the ashes! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" She chanted. Her fusion of Avian and Burstinatrix burst down, landing before Emma with a grunt. (Lvl 6 2100/1200).

"But wait, there's more! I activate the field spell, Skyscraper!" Emma slammed the card into her field zone. All around them, tall buildings shot up, including a tall one which looked like North America's Empire State Building.

"Here in the city, whenever an Elemental HERO attacks a monster with higher attack, they gain one-thousand attack points!" Emma then looked up to her monster, who was stood on the very top of Skyscraper.

"Now, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, attack with Skyrise Scorcher!" The fusion monster opened his wing, looking up at Kozmo Dark Eclipser. Engulfing in flames, he shot up, and as he did, the flames got hotter as Skyscraper did it's work. (3100/1200).

With that power boost, Flame Wingman burst through the massive ship, explosions going off throughout the ship.

* * *

 **DE: 2900**

* * *

Emma then pointed at her opponent. "And, when Flame Wingman destroys a monster and sends it to the grave, you take damage equal to that monster's attack points!"

The dying husk of Dark Eclipser fell down on Dark Empress, and she gave a pathetic whimper as she was buried by the huge ship which then exploded.

* * *

 **DE: 0**

* * *

Emma pointed to her, then gave a two-fingered salute, "And that's game!" she smirked.

"And, with an amazing display, Emma will be advancing to the next round, while the Dark Empress is going home with nothing," MC announced.

"Alright!" Emma cheered, waving to the audience.

* * *

The wheelchair-bound girl returned to the waiting room to receive a shower of praise and applause. "Well done, that duel was something to watch," Daiki smiled.

"Agreed, you have a fire in your heart kid, I like that," Greiger chuckled.

"When that woman pulled out that battle cruiser thing, I thought you were toast," Yusei admitted.

"And I'm so proud of you, I bet Mom and Dad are watching this on TV, and they'll be proud too," Marcus told his sister.

"Thanks guys, she wasn't so tough," Emma shrugged. "I just wonder who I'll be facing next."

"Yusei Fudo, you're duelling next against Shira, suit up, it's a turbo duel," The staff member came back in.

"Wish me luck guys," Yusei stood, walking out of the room.

"He'll be fine, I think," Marcus watched him go.

"I know he will," Sarah said, sitting down beside Marcus. Kione sat down next to Emma, the two gossiping quietly.

"I hope so, last time I duelled him, he had amnesia, so I'm hoping for a rematch," Marcus chuckled.

* * *

 **Emma: Yeah! I kicked butt!**

 **Greiger: Indeed you did small one.**

 **Marcus: Nice job kiddo, now, let me take a look at my schedule and see what's next...**

 **Sarah: While he does that, the three extra OCs that were announced in the roster above are all made by Marcus.**

 **Marcus: Ok! I have it here, and I've been looking forward to writing this one.**

 **Greiger: Like what? What's coming?**

 **All: Next time: Nature's Envoy!**


	9. Chapter 9: Nature's Envoy

**Ok, so we're finally going to get to see Daiki duel! I'm excited, and I'm sure you guys are as well! So, without any further ado, let's get right in!**

 **I do not own YGO 5Ds, it belongs to 4Kids and Konami! I only own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Nature's Envoy!**

 **Title Song: Forest Gathering by Derek Fiechter**

* * *

"That Emma girl duelled pretty well, didn't she?" Tanner asked. "I haven't seen an Elemental HERO deck in years and she pulls it off pretty well."

"Yeah! Emma's always dedicated herself to the HERO duellist called Jaden Yuki, who was an amazing Slifer Red Student at a Duel Academy, back when Domino City was around," Luna nodded.

"Yuki huh? I heard of the guy, he converted into Neo Spacians after a while, didn't he?" Tanner asked.

"I don't think Emma will though, she's spent too long working on that deck to change," Dexter said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, hold onto your seats, as it's time for the first Turbo Duel!" The MC called out. "Yusei Fudo is going up against the Shadow Reaper, Shira!"

"Alright! Our boy's up next!" Tanner grinned to Yanagi. "I'm gonna go see how he's preparing in the pits, be right back."

* * *

The turbo duel was something to watch. It seemed that Shira had been jumped in the halls, and Hunter Pace revealed himself, and after getting cleared by Goodwin, Yusei accepted his challenge.

Hunter was rocking a brand new, maximum speed deck, summoning new monsters and burning down Yusei's lifepoints horrifically. However, the raven-haired Satellite inhabitant turned the duel around by slowing down, and summoning Nitro Warrior, using a similar strategy to how he beat Marcus back in the tops.

After that amazing duel, Commander Koda and The Professor duelled, it was a strange one, the Professor used cards that let him read his opponent's hand, and see what cards were next, while The Professor used a deck that did a similar tactic, revealing opponent's cards, but he also had a burn strategy.

In the end, this duel ended in Koda advancing, he would face whoever won Marcus' duel with Kaiba.

* * *

"Miss Kione, Mr Izumi, you're facing off next," A staff member called out. Both duellists were wished good luck, and walked down to where they would splinter off.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for our next duel!" The duellist MC was still raring to go. "On my left, a young maiden with a cold, sturdy heart, Miss Kione Radcliffe!" Kione raised out of the ground, ignoring the few jeers that were still echoing throughout the stadium.

"And on my right, a young man calling himself 'Nature's Envoy'. Daiki Izumi!" Daiki calmly rose from the ground as well.

"Let's have a great duel, shall we?" He asked her.

"I'm glad someone respects me for a person and not a discarded bag of chips," Kione smiled back. "Agreed, let's have some fun!"

Both raised their duel disks, the five prongs on Kione's custom disk extending, card slots appearing on them.

"Nice duel disk there, very unique," Daiki said.

"Thanks. I built it myself," Kione replied.

"Let's DUEL!" They both yelled.

* * *

 **K: 4000  
D: 4000**

* * *

"I'll go first!" Kione said, drawing her card. "I'll start by summoning Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier in attack mode!" A blonde-haired man wearing a purple, red and gold robe appeared. There were tattoos on his arms and a white silky scarf trailed over his shoulders, down his front and back up the other shoulder. His hands were pressed together and he held a face of focus. (Lvl 4 1500/1000).

"I'll set two face down cards and end my turn," She said.

"Then I draw!" Daiki said. "I summon Naturia Pumpkin!" A green pumpkin with a mellow face appeared, the top looked like it had been cut open. (Lvl 4 1400/800). "When Naturia Pumpkin is normal summoned while you control a monster, I can special summon a friend for him, so I'll summon Naturia Horneedle!" A large bee with leafy wings appeared next to Pumpkin. (Lvl 4 1800/100).

"Horneedle! Attack Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier with Nature's Sting!" The large bee shot across the field, skewering Kione's monster with it's stinger.

* * *

 **K: 3700**

* * *

"Next is Naturia Pumpkin's attack!" the pumpkin got to it's stubby feet, before flinging a glob of goo from the opening in it's head. The sticky substance hit Kione, and she grit her teeth as the direct attack hit.

* * *

 **K: 2300**

* * *

"I activate my trap, Damage Condenser!" She panted. "With this, I can summon a monster from my deck, with attack points equal or less than the 1400 points of damage I just took. I choose my Defender of the Ice Barrier!" her yellow furred, four-legged animal with ice crystals on it's tail and mane appeared. (Lvl 3 200/1600).

"Not bad," Daiki whistled, "I end my turn with a face-down card."

"Then I draw! I summon Strategist of the Ice Barrier!" An elderly man with a long grey beard and grey hair appeared, he was wearing a dark green/black Japanese robe with a purple scarf around his neck. He was wearing a hat that resembled the Ice Barrier emblem, and his hand was holding a fan with a tiny Ice Barrier decoration. (Lvl 4 1600/1600).

"I play Strategist's effect, once a turn, I can send one Ice Barrier monster from my hand to the grave…" She showed General Gantala in her hand. "… and I get to draw one card!" She drew the new card. "I then activate Call of the Haunted and revive my discarded General Gantala of the Ice Barrier!"

Emerging to the field through the trap was a man wearing a white and green martial arts outfit, a blue six-pointed star was on his forehead, the same shape was on his back, in the form of a strange snowflake with the center cut out. (Lvl 7 2700/2000).

"I set one face down and end my turn. During the end phase, Gantala's effect allows me to fetch an Ice Barrier monster from my graveyard and summon it! So come back Pilgrim!" Her field grew larger as the Pilgrim returned to the field.

"Not bad indeed," Daiki smiled. "My turn! Draw! I summon the Tuner monster Naturia Butterfly!" A large butterfly appeared next to the bee. It had a magenta coloured body and shimmering pink wings and it's legs were green. (Lvl 3 500/1200).

"Naturia Butterfly, tune with Naturia Pumpkin!" Daiki commanded.

"Ancient Spirits of the Forest and the Earth, surround our world with nature and rise from the ground! Synchro Summon!" Daiki roared. "Awaken from thy slumber! Naturia Landoise!"

A massive rock tortoise appeared on the field, with a grassy hill and a tree on it's back. (Lvl 7 2350/1600). "Naturia Landoise, attack Defender of the Ice Barrier!" Daiki ordered. He frowned when he saw that his monster wasn't moving. "Huh?"

"Defender of the Ice Barrier's continuous ability means that monsters with attack equal or higher than Defender's Defence points," Kione told him.

"So anything over 1600 attack points can't battle?" Daiki inquired.

"Yup, good luck climbing over that!" Kione chuckled.

"Kione has played a clever blockade of monsters! If Daiki wants to do anything, he'll need to defeat Defender of the Ice Barrier, and quickly!" The MC explained to the stands.

"She's got him trapped like a mouse in a birdcage," Sarah smiled from where she sat on the couch in the waiting room.

"I wouldn't count Mr Daiki out yet," Greiger said.

Officer Trudge glanced at the screen from where he stood by the doors. _She ain't doing too bad_ , he admitted to himself.

"Are you not finished or is it my turn yet?" Kione asked.

Daiki slapped down a face-down, "Now it is," He told her.

Kione drew, and instantly got to work. "I summon Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier!" At her words, a man shrouded in a blue turban, blue coat and pants, and armed with a large staff/trident weapon. (Lvl 3 1500/800).

"Now, Defender of the Ice Barrier, tune with Shock Troops!" As Defender leapt into the sky, the Shock Troop followed. "Hunter of the tundra, appear now out of a raging blizzard! Synchro Summon! Pounce, Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier!" A large, blue furred tiger appeared, with white stripes across it's back. On it's crest and front shoulders was dark blue armour plating with a golden Ice Barrier pattern on it. (Lvl 6 2000/1400).

"Now for his effect, I can return any number of cards on my field to my hand, and Dewloren gains 500 attack points for each one, until the end phase, so I'll return Strategist of the Ice Barrier and give him one boost!"

"Hold it kid, I activate my own synchro monster's effect, since you activated a monster effect while Landoise is on the field, I merely need to discard one spell card from my hand, and your big kitty's effect is history, as is Dewloren himself," Daiki said, revealing and discarding a Mystical Space Typhoon.

"NO!" Kione growled as her Tiger King was pulled underground by vines and roots. "Darn it… General Gantala, attack Naturia Horneedle!" She commanded. Her powerful warrior leapt across the field, smashing through Daiki's bee with a palm strike. "I end my turn! Gantala, bring back Defender if you will." Gantala clapped his hands together, and Defender reappeared.

"You're fortunate that I had no second spell in my hand, or Gantala would be going as well," Daiki chuckled.

Kione put down a face-down, "All yours," She said.

"Thank you," Daiki drew his card. "I summon Naturia Eggplant to the field!" He said. At his instruction, another bug appeared, with a purple head and thorax and green torso, on it's back were a pair of light blue wings. (Lvl 2 1000/700).

"Then I activate Naturia Sacred Tree!" A huge tree of trees appeared behind him. "Here's how this card works, once per turn, I can release either an Earth attribute Insect or Plant type monster from my field, then, depending if it was option A or B, I can summon one level 4 plant or insect type monster. I send Eggplant to the graveyard to special summon Naturia Ladybug!"

Vines swooped down and snared his purple bug, pulling it up out of the ground and in between the smaller trees of the Sacred Tree. Then, out from the branches was a red winged bug with pink flower patterns on it's back. (Lvl 1 100/100).

"I activate the effect of Eggplant, when it is sent to the grave, I can add a Naturia monster from my graveyard to my hand. I choose Naturia Butterfly! Next is Naturia Ladybug's effect, I can tribute this face up monster to provide Naturia Landoise with a 1000 attack point boost." Ladybug flew over Landoise, slowly evaporating but sprinkling golden dust onto the larger monster. (3350/1600).

"I finally activate Raigeki! Now, all of your monsters are destroyed!" Daiki said, before a huge lightning bolt slammed down on Kione's field, wiping out Gantala, Defender, Strategist and Pilgrim.

"Naturia Landoise! Attack her directly with Nature's Wrath!" The massive tortoise reared back, before stomping down with it's front legs, causing a powerful shockwave that made Kione drop to a knee and cover up.

* * *

 **K: 650**

* * *

Daiki actually paused when he saw Kione, "You alright over there? You can call it quits at anytime," He told her.

"I don't quit," Kione shot back, getting back to her feet. "I never quit!"

Daiki's eye widened as he noticed that a faint glow was appearing on her hand, in blue. "Then you have a turn to prove your true power to me, make it count." He said.

Kione glanced down at her deck. "If there was ever a moment you could help me… now is the time," She prayed, before drawing. She took a fleeting glance at her card, and a smile appeared. _YES!_

"I activate the spell card Surface! This allows me to special summon one level 3 or lower Aqua, Sea Serpent or Fish monster from my graveyard in defence mode!" Defender of the Ice Barrier emerged once again. "Then I activate another Call of the Haunted, summoning my Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier!" Her solder reappeared next to Defender.

"Lastly, I'll summon Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier!" The Secret Guard was a white-haired man wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, ice blue baggy pants, a dark blue cloth down over his abdomen, and a low cape from behind his back. In his hands were a pair of icy swords. (Lvl 2 100/1600).

"Here we go, Level 3 Defender of the Ice Barrier, tune with Level 3 Shock Troops and Level 2 Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier!" A slight blue glow was emanating from her eyes, as she held up her hand to the sky.

"White scales of the deepest depths, surface now and unleash your oceanic might! Synchro Summon! Rise from the Abyss! White Aura Whale!" Bursting from the ground like a whale in the sea was a majestic white skinned whale with golden fins and armoured scales. It became suspended in the air, just above Kione's head. (Lvl 8 2800/2000).

"When White Aura Whale is synchro summoned, all your monsters in attack position go to the grave!" Kione said. Her whale opened it's mouth, and a wave of water gushed out, washing away Daiki's monsters.

In the lobby, Sarah's eyes were wide, "She… she's never used that monster before, where did she get that?" She asked.

"A new monster eh? It's got a great effect so far, whatever it is," Marcus admitted.

"I agree, a Mighty Beast for a mighty young warrior," Greiger nodded.

"White Aura Whale, attack Daiki directly with Silver Water Cannon!" The whale dipped, and from the blowhole on it's back burst a massive torrent of water that threatened to knock Daiki off his feet.

* * *

 **D: 1200**

* * *

"You used your turn well, and summoned a powerful creature," He admitted. "However, I'm still standing."

"I end my turn," Kione said.

"And I draw," Daiki's hand began to glow a light grey, and he smirked, it was time to end this. "I activate my own Call of the Haunted to bring back Naturia Landoise!" His rocky goliath emerged from the ground.

"I summon an old friend, remember Naturia Butterfly?" His colourful insect appeared in front of him.

"It's a tuner monster, not good," Kione recalled.

"That's correct, on both accounts. Level 3 Naturia Butterfly tune now with Level 7 Naturia Landoise!" Daiki's one visible eye began to glow.

"King of the jungle, roar now and let everyone know who rules the lands! Synchro Summon! Prowl on, Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!" Bounding down from the tree behind Daiki was a lion with a red, leafy mane, white armour and green fur beneath. Two large spikes curled around from it's back to in front of it's shoulders, and a blue and gold harness was on it's chest. It landed before Daiki with a loud thud, before roaring to the stadium. (Lvl 10 3100/1900).

Kione closed her eyes. "Looks like that's it," She mumbled.

"Leo, attack White Aura Whale with Howl of the Forest!" The massive lion tucked in its head, before letting out a deafening roar that shook the entire field. White Aura Whale crumbled under the soundwaves, bursting into shards.

* * *

 **K: 350**

* * *

Kione sighed, glancing at her lifepoint meter. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and put her hand on her deck.

"I surrender," She told the MC and Daiki.

The MC gave a respectful nod, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Kione has chosen to stand down from the duel and I don't blame her one bit. With 350 LP left and her next draw being her only possible saviour, she decided she didn't want to chance a dead draw."

Kione let the platform beneath her carry her down into the tunnels, and she slowly walked back to the lobby.

Sarah was stood, waiting for her sister to emerge from the corridors, and enveloped the silver haired girl in a hug the moment she walked in.

"I lost," Kione mumbled.

"It's not a loss if you learn something," Yusei said. Kione glanced up to see him, Marcus and Greiger all standing a short distance away.

"Little one, I admire anyone who has the courage to stand up and face their enemies," Greiger gave a warm smile, "However, the duellists who are the most courageous… are those exceptional few, who know when to stand down."

"Greiger's right, don't take the loss too bad kid, you duelled phenomenally out there," Marcus nodded.

"Miss Kione," the Ice Barrier duellist turned to see Daiki behind her. "Maybe another day, when the Fortune Cup is behind us, we can have a rematch," He said, holding out a hand.

"You'd want to duel me again? I got cocky and eventually bricked," Kione asked.

"Of course, not many people run Ice Barrier decks these days, so I'd love to learn more about their playing style," Daiki nodded.

Kione wiped away the tears forming in her eyes, and put her hand in Daiki's. "I'd gladly accept that rematch, anytime, anywhere." They firmly shook, sealing the deal.

Marcus then gripped his fist, "It's my turn next, and I'm facing-"

"Me," He turned, seeing Ken Kaiba standing there. "I hope you can put up a good fight, ace of duel academy," He sneered, walking past the group and into the corridors.

"He definitely carries the attitude of a Kaiba, now I just need to worry about whether he has the same deck plan," Marcus muttered. "Or I'm in for the hardest duel of my life."

* * *

 **Marcus: And that's all he wrote. I mean, what I wrote!  
**

 **Emma: Naturia deck? Have to admit I didn't see that coming.**

 **Daiki: Why didn't you? I used White Oak and Leodrake when escaping the Arcadia building.**

 **Emma: Oh yeah, guess I forgot about that.**

 **Marcus: Well, I'm next, and I'm duelling a Kaiba, so this will prove interesting.**

 **All: Next Time: Pride and Soul!**


	10. Chapter 10: Pride and Soul

**So, I finally got off my lazy butt and got back to work on this story. If you haven't been informed, I was stuck because of Ken Kaiba's deck, despite being a Dragon user, and having one blue-eyes in my deck, I hate the Blue-Eyes archetype.**

 **That's also the reason this chapter was a bit on the short side, but I promise, I'll try not to keep you guys waiting in the future for the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Pride and Soul**

 **Title Song: You're Not Me by Marty Bags (Seto Kaiba's Theme)**

* * *

Marcus opened his eyes as the platform he stood on rose into the center of Memorial Circuit. Across from him was the young man who was supposedly a direct descendant to Seto Kaiba himself.

"I heard that you're a duellist who uses dragon monsters," Ken said. "If that is the case, then we are on even ground."

"I've always wanted to pit myself against a Kaiba, so I'll happily take this challenge," Marcus nodded.

"DUEL!" They both roared, both holding up a dragon themed duel disk.

* * *

 **K: 4000  
M: 4000**

* * *

"I'll go first, and I'll start by summoning the Maiden With Eyes of Blue!" Ken called out.

A woman with silver hair and piercing blue eyes appeared before him. She was wearing a bright robe that looked like it was made of the softest cloth. (Lvl 1 0/0).

 _A monster with 0 attack points? Don't walk into this one without thinking…_ Marcus frowned, as his opponent slapped down a pair of face-downs.

"Your move," He said.

"And then I draw!" Marcus accepted his card, and quickly formulated a plan.

"Ok… first, I'll summon Soldier Dragon in attack mode!" He said, slapping down a card on his disk. A small red scaled dragon wearing steel armour and holding a lance in one scaly hand and a shield in the other appeared next to him (Lvl 2 700/800). "Soldier dragon attacks Maiden with Eyes of Blue!"

His dragon charged forward, "Maiden's effect activates when she's targeted for an attack, she is switched into defence mode and the attack is negated, on top of that, I also get to special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand, deck or graveyard!" Ken smirked.

"When you activate a card or effect, Soldier Dragon can summon a level 2 or lower dragon monster from my deck! I summon a second soldier dragon in attack mode!"

"The Embodiment of my Pride and Soul! Rise! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Ken's cry was heeded by the massive, silver scaled, blue-eyed dragon, which roared at Marcus. (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

"Man… seeing a Blue-Eyes controlled by a Kaiba… it's an honour," Marcus muttered.

"This is one of the three which have been passed down since my great grandfather's passing, you're staring at one of the originals!" Ken said.

"Fair enough, I'll attack Maiden with my second Soldier!" The second dragon cut down the woman in seconds.

"I'll set two face-downs and end my turn," Marcus said.

Ken drew his own card. "By revealing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, I can summon Blue-Eyes Alternative Dragon to the field!" He said.

"Since you activated your effect, one of my Soldier Dragons summons the third one from my deck in attack mode!" Marcus said.

"It doesn't matter, rise, Alternative Dragon!" A dragon identical to the Blue-Eyes already out appeared, but there were black vein-like lines over it's wings and scales. (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

"Next, I summon Kaibaman!" A man that wore an outfit identical to Ken appeared, with a helmet over his hair and eyes, a duel card was in his hand. (Lvl 3 200/700). "And I'll activate his effect! Tributing him allows me to summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Marcus smirked, "You don't learn, do you? I summon Galaxy Serpent from my deck thanks to Soldier Dragon number 2," He said, a small white dragon appearing to his far right side of the field.

"And you clearly are just stalling here! Appear! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A third dragon appeared on Ken's field, taking the place of Kaibaman. "Alright, you have three powerful monsters staring you down, and I'm not done yet, I activate the effect of Alternative Dragon!"

"And I'll summon Totem Dragon from my deck in defence mode!" Marcus said, a long thin yellow scaled dragon with a green circle on it's body, where two yellow wings extended. (Lvl 2 400/200).

"Marcus has stacked his field with little monsters folks, what's he planning?" The MC asked.

"Alternative Dragon can destroy one monster on the field, at the cost of it not attacking this turn! So I think I'll crush one of your soldier dragons!" A white light washed over one of his monsters, vaporizing it.

"Blue-Eyes number 1, attack Galaxy Serpent!" The dragon however didn't move. "Huh?"

"I just activated the trap, Threatening Roar! Now, you can't attack this turn!" Marcus explained.

"Let's see what that wall of junk will get you," Ken grunted.

"Indeed we shall! I draw!" Marcus smirked. "I tune my level 2 Galaxy Serpent with my level 2 Soldier Dragon and Level 2 Totem Dragon!" He said.

"Mighty Dragon, spread your crimson wings and soar to new heights! Synchro Summon! Soul of Scarlet, Red Wyvern!" A red, armoured dragon burst out of the light, bathed in flame, with a plume of fire constantly flaring from it's head. (Lvl 6 2400/2000).

"Red Wyvern's ability activates! Once a turn, I can destroy the monster with the highest attack points, as long as they're above Red Wyvern's 2400!" Marcus said. "Since you have three 3000 attack dragons, I'll blow up Alternative Dragon!" Red flames burst across the field, before Alternative Dragon roared and shattered.

"You haven't changed a thing," Ken noted. "I still have two Blue-Eyes White Dragons which are ready to tear you apart! In fact, I activate Call of the Haunted, so return, Blue-Eyes Alternative Dragon!"

"But since you played an effect, Soldier Dragon kicks into play again, and I'll summon Galaxy Serpent!" Marcus' favourite tuner monster returned.

"And I'll now tune him with level six Red Wyvern and level 2 soldier dragon!" Marcus called out.

"Flames of Purgatory, rise up and burn everything that stands in your way! Synchro Summon! Blaze the world, Trident Dragion!" A three headed, red and white scaled dragon appeared from the sky, and flew above Marcus. (Lvl 10 3000/2800).

"Impressive, but it matches my dragons in power," Ken observed.

* * *

In the lobby downstairs, Sarah, Greiger and Daiki all glanced to Emma, who was a little confused herself.

"You know your brother's duel style the most kid, what's he planning?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know, we both agreed we wouldn't share each other's deck, in the off-chance we might duel, so I don't know what he's planning," Emma shrugged. "This low level monster rush tactic is strange for him, since he likes to swamp the field with high level cards."

Yusei gave a small smirk, "I think I know," He said, but didn't elaborate, causing everyone to look at him with a puzzled face.

* * *

"I activate Trident Dragion's effect!" Marcus called. "When it's summoned, I can destroy up to two cards I control, and he gains an extra attack this turn for each card fried," He pointed to his own face down.

"Before I destroy this card, I'll play it! Castle of Dragon Souls!" In the clouds above the stadium, in the clouds, a fort stood tall. "It allows me to lock one of my destroyed dragon's souls inside, and a dragon monster I control gains 700 attack points! So I'll banish Red Wyvern to the castle, and Trident gains that much needed power boost!"

A spectral form of his wyvern shot towards the castle, and a light shone down on Trident Dragion (3700/2800). The castle then crumbled, and shattered as the three-headed dragon chomped down on the card. "When the Castle of Dragon Souls is destroyed, I can return one soul from that castle to the field! So welcome back Red Wyvern!"

Both dragons, with all four heads, roared at Ken's three dragons, who growled back.

"It's time to do battle! Trident Dragion, take out Ken's two Blue-Eyes White Dragons with Hellfire Roar!" White hot flames spouted from the left and right heads, slamming into the iconic dragons, and shattering them.

* * *

 **K: 2600**

* * *

"First score is Marcus' after he unleashes a devastating combo!" The MC announced.

"You're going to regret that," Ken scowled, as Marcus ended his turn, Trident Dragion's attack returning to normal (3000/2800).

"I draw, and I activate the spell card called Dragon's Mirror!" A large mirror appeared in front of him.

Marcus slapped himself, of course he'd have that. "So, by removing monsters on my field and in my graveyard that make up a fusion monster from play, I can summon that fusion monster which lists the monsters I sent."

"Legendary Dragons of Light and Sapphires, merge your might and become the ultimate creature! Fusion Summon! My very heart and soul! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Marcus almost dropped to his knees to bow, as the massive, original three-headed dragon emerged, carrying the same colour scheme as the individual dragons. (Lvl 12 4500/3800).

"All rise to welcome this mighty beast back to the grounds of which it reigned once before," the MC said. He wasn't wrong either, as the Memorial Circuit's other name was the Kaiba Dome. Everyone was cheering as Ultimate Dragon spread it's wings and three heads, even Jack Atlas stood and applauded in a rare case of respect.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Vaporize his Red Wyvern!" Ken called. Marcus was too focused on the majestic might before him, therefore, he was jolted awake as Red Wyvern was destroyed.

* * *

 **M: 1900**

* * *

"Very impressive Kaiba, you really are worthy of the name," He smiled, silently cursing himself for getting enthralled by the mighty dragon and forgetting about Red Wyvern's effect.

"Your turn," He said calmly.

Marcus gripped the top card, and drew. When he looked at it, he couldn't believe it. It was if fate had stepped in.

"I play the spell, Dragon's Mirror!" He yelled.

"Impossible!" Ken snapped.

"Oh it's quite possible, and with this card, I am about to show you who is the new king of Dragons!" He said. "I fuse my two Galaxy Serpents and three Soldier Dragons, all of which are in the graveyard!

Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Darkness, these five elements are what formed this ultimate beast! Fusion Summon! Reign in Dominance! FIVE-HEADED DRAGON!" A large dragon body of yellow scales and wings rose up, but where the neck usually started, a large steel collar was there, and five long necks, all of different kinds, rose up, to five furious heads, one with watery fins, one of pure fire, one of wind, one of shadow, and one of metallic scales. (Lvl 12 5000/5000).

"I don't believe it! We've got a true clash of titans here folks! If you're watching this at home, do not even _think_ about looking away!" MC all but yelled down the microphone.

"Alright Ken, I think fate stepped in here! Let's end this with a bang! Five-Headed Dragon! Commence attack with Five-God Stream!" All five heads bunched up, energy building up in each of their mouths, before they let loose, the different elements swirling together to form a huge spiralling force of power.

"I think you're right Marcus, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, let's give them a show! Ultimate Neutron Burst!" The other dragon roared, three heads all charging up crackling lightning, and letting their power go free as well.

However, the game gave the rules, and Fire-Headed Dragon's attack overpowered Blue-Eyes', annihilating the smaller dragon.

* * *

 **K: 1900**

* * *

"But that's not all, Trident Dragion, finish this now with Purgatory Hellfire!" Marcus commanded. His other dragon roared, before breathing red fire that washed over Ken, and ending the duel.

* * *

 **K: 0**

* * *

As the holograms faded, the audience cheered and applauded with vigour, the noise was so loud that the MC had to call to make them settle down. "Settle down folks, I know you think that was such an amazing duel, and I don't blame you, but with this duel ending, Marcus will be moving on to round two, and Ken Kaiba will unfortunately be forced to watch on from the sidelines."

Marcus saw that Ken was walking towards him, and he did the same, so they met in the middle. "That was an incredible duel," He said.

"Indeed it was," Ken nodded. "But next time we meet, things will go differently," He held out his hand.

Marcus was surprised, but smirked, reaching out to accept the handshake, "This doesn't make us friends yet," Ken told him. "But I'll gladly accept you as my rival."

"Not many people make me go all out like I did today, and I always see them as worthy adversaries and rivals," Marcus nodded. "Until we meet again, Ken Kaiba."

"Until we meet again, Marcus Cersy," Ken agreed, before turning and departing from the arena via the elevator he came in on.

* * *

 **Emma: FINALLY!**

 **Marcus: Well, glad to be back, and I promise I'm going to be more frequent in my uploading of chapters this time.**

 **Sarah: If you didn't see already, Marcus also has a new Fairy Tail story, Kaiser of the Cold, and I'm liking it so far.**

 **Kione: You're not even in it!**

 **Sarah: Yet.**

 **All: Next time: Cops and Robbers!**


	11. Chapter 11: Cops and Robbers

**Told you guys I wouldn't make you wait as long as last time! I love this little rivalry, almost as much as Yusei vs Trudge, and Sarah's deck is a real kick in the teeth to Trudge's. You know... just go and read.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Cops and Robbers**

 **Title Song: Flying Theme - How to Train Your Dragon**

* * *

Sarah tapped away on her laptop, before tweaking a few things with her runner. This would be her first duel on live TV, and after Yusei's warm welcome to the track, she wanted to make sure all of her aces were set and ready to go.

The door to the garage then was knocked on, and in walked the dragon duellist Marcus. "Sorry to bother you, just wanted to ask a few things?"

Sarah didn't look up, but did sigh, "Fire away," She said.

"What's your reason for accepting the invitation to the Fortune cup?" Marcus asked.

"Me and my sister snuck across the sea into Neo Domino City," Sarah muttered. "Goodwin's grunt found us, threatened to arrest me, her, and our host."

"I see… Blister was right… if it isn't a bribe… it's a threat," Marcus frowned.

"Why? What'd he tell you?" Sarah asked him.

"Apparently, depending on our placements in the tournament, Goodwin will provide both new accommodation in a nicer part of the city, and he'll also provide funding for a pair of prosthetic legs for my sister," Marcus told her.

"Seriously?!" Sarah snapped. She sighed, "He's up to something, something big."

Marcus nodded, "I don't know… it feels like he's looking for something… or someone…" He rubbed his hand.

"Now that you say it… he selects three Satellites, a kid from the rich life, a direct descendant to a legend, two students from duel academy, a random red-head and a random green-thumb," Sarah said, numbering them on her hands.

"Miss Radcliffe? You're up in five minutes," A staff member popped in to say. Sarah gave a thumbs up, and sighed.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to centre myself for the duel, I've got to beat this copper into the ground to stay out of jail," Sarah said to Marcus.

"I understand, and wish you the utmost of luck," Marcus nodded, and walked towards the door. He paused when the door was open and glanced back. "If we have to duel at some point, I hope you understand that I can't hold back."

Sarah smiled, "I know, and the same goes for me."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It's time for our second turbo duel of the day, and I think it's going to be a doozy!" The MC grinned.

"First up, a young upstart from across the waters, give it up for Miss Sarah Radcliffe!" Sarah started the engine, letting it roar out the tunnel before she gunned it, her runner shooting into the sky before landing on the track.

 _Ok, all systems go,_ Sarah nodded quietly, as she rode around to come to a halt on the grid. She ignored the boos and focused on the very few individuals that had started to respect the satellites.

"And her opponent, here to enforce the rules of the duels on our very own duel track, Officer Tetsu Trudge!" Sarah growled and rolled her eyes as out came Trudge on his Sector Security runner, sirens blaring and everything.

"I hope you're ready to wave goodbye to your runner and deck Radcliffe, because I'll be taking you and your sister off with me to the facility when I'm done with you!" Trudge growled.

"Nice scar, where'd you get it?" Sarah casually shot back.

"If you must know, I got it after getting tricked by Yusei," The officer snarled.

"Sounds like these two have some history! Now, duellists, activate your speed world field cards!" MC called out.

Sarah and Trudge nodded, pressing the buttons on their runners which activated the important card. Instantly, a white light burst from their vehicles, and the world changed to this eerie purple glow.

 _"_ _Duel mode: Engaged. Autopilot: standing by."_ Their computers said together.

Sarah set her eyes on the countdown lights above them both, and the moment the green light lit up, she gunned it, Trudge right on her tail.

"That's some pretty decent speed you have there!" Trudge smirked. "Unfortunately, my runner has had an upgrade or two, check out my new top speed!"

He then surprised Sarah by crossing beneath her, which meant that he grabbed the turn first, which meant the first move was his.

* * *

 **T: 4000 SC: 1  
S: 4000 SC: 1**

* * *

"I draw! And I summon Gate Blocker to the field in defence mode!" Trudge laughed, a black and orange wall with one eye appeared, before hueing blue. (Lvl 4 0/2000).

"That's a new one…" Sarah mumbled.

"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn," Trudge smirked.

* * *

 **T: SC 2  
S: SC 1**

* * *

Sarah did a double take when she noticed her speed counters stay the same.

"What the actual hell?!" She cried in alarm. "Why aren't my speed counters climbing?!"

"Because of Gate Blocker! While he's on the field, you won't be gaining any speed!" Trudge laughed.

 _Not good!_ Sarah grit her teeth. She needed speed counters to make a move, but she couldn't make a move while that wall was in her way.

"I draw!" She said and frowned upon seeing her hand was rather dead on moves.

"I'll set one monster card face-down, then set two face-downs and end my turn," She frowned.

* * *

 **T: SC 3  
S: SC 1**

* * *

"Oh yeah, I'm loving this new lockdown speed deck!" Trudge grinned, drawing his card. "I summon Search Striker in attack mode!" He slapped down the card he drew.

A large humanoid figure with blue robes, a metallic head, two large dishes on his shoulders and a pair of huge laser cannons in his hands. (Lvl 4 1600/1200).

"Search Striker! Attack her monster!" He laughed.

"Not so fast Trudge! I got a face-down trap! Negate Attack!" She called out, playing the simple card and a barrier appeared, blocking the lasers fired by Search Striker. "Now the attack is negated and the battle phase ends!"

"You bought a turn," Trudge frowned, and ended his turn.

"My turn, and I flip up my face-down, revealing Aratama!" Her red spirit appeared, giving a creepy grin. (lvl 4 800/1800). "And with him in play, I can add one spirit monster to my hand."

Marcus' eyes widened when he heard her words. "Wait a moment…" He gasped.

"Is she actually playing that deck while turbo-duelling?" Emma asked, equally shocked.

Yusei just chuckled, "So she pulled it off after all," He smiled.

"I add the monster card, Hebo, Lord of the River!" Sarah said, pulling a card into her hand.

"Next, I'll activate the trap called Shinobird Salvation, and we'll get to it's effect in a second," Sarah smiled. "For now, I'll set a monster in defence mode and end my turn, which is when Aratama returns to my hand."

Her trap began to glow, as her monster came back to her hand, "Shinobird Salvation now activates! When a spirit monster returns to my hand, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. Gate Blocker can get lost if you don't mind."

A feather shot from the trap, skewering Trudge's defence and smashing it to pieces. Trudge grit his teeth, growling.

"And with that, it is your turn," Sarah reminded him.

"It seems that Miss Radcliffe is not only a turbo duellist, but a spirit duellist!" MC told the crowd. "For those that don't know, Spirit monsters have one major law that can't be ignored. At the end of the turn that they are turned face-up, or normal summoned to the field, they must return to their owner's hand!"

Marcus gave a smile, "Respect to your sister kid," He said to Kione, who was sat watching the screen with stiff attention. "She chose a difficult deck to run."

Kione glanced at him, "That's the reason why she decided to use it, just wait, her true power will come through soon enough," She said, before looking back at the screen.

"You're going to regret ever coming to the city kid, my move!" Trudge yelled.

* * *

 **T: SC 4  
S: SC 2**

* * *

"I'm at four speed counters, so I'll activate the Angel Baton speed spell!" Trudge called out, slapping a card down. "This beauty lets me draw two cards, the price being I must then discard one card from my hand." He followed his card's effect.

"Then I'll play this! Summon Speeder! This speed spell lets me special summon one level 4 or lower monster, at the cost of four speed counters," Trudge said. "So come on out Pursuit Chaser!" A floating drone with one red eye with two laser cannons appeared next to Search Striker. (Lvl 3 1400/600).

"Search Striker, Pursuit Chaser! Attack that Satellite directly!" Both robotic monsters charged weapons and fired blue and yellow lasers respectively at Sarah.

* * *

 **S: 1000 SC: 0  
T: 4000 SC: 0  
**

* * *

Sarah growled loudly, gripping her controls tightly to regain control as turbulence rocked her runner, Trudge laughed at her plight. "Sarah takes a massive amount of damage from Trudge's mechanical onslaught! Can she recover!?" The MC called out.

 _Of course I can,_ Sarah growled, riding with the rough wind and up the curved ramp, before she gunned it, catching back up to Trudge. "You miss me?" She asked him.

"Like the gum on my boot," Trudge grumbled.

"It's my move!" Sarah called.

* * *

 **S: SC 1  
T: SC 1**

* * *

Sarah glanced at her card, and then looked at her hand, "Ok, here we go! I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!" A mutant humanoid with literally ten thousand hands appeared next to her. (Lvl 4 1400/1000).

"That's all you have? He won't do a thing to either of my monsters," Trudge observed.

"But you clearly don't know his ability, when he's summoned, I can add a ritual monster or spell to my hand!" Sarah called out.

Heads turned at that call out. "Wait a minute… she can't be serious…" Marcus mumbled.

"Ok… now she has my attention…" Jack said, standing up and looking out the window.

"Right, I add Shinobaroness Peacock to my hand!" Sarah said.

"But you have barely any speed," Trudge grunted, "Therefore, you can't make a proper play."

"Then for now, I'll set a monster face-down and a card face-down, ending my turn," Sarah said.

"Finally!" Trudge grinned. "I draw!"

* * *

 **S: SC 2  
T: SC 2**

* * *

"I summon Torapart in attack mode!" Sarah couldn't find a way to explain the appearance of the monster that appeared, it looked like a little toy witch on a stand, stuck to the bottom of another witch. (Lvl 2 600/600).

"That's a tuner monster…" Sarah mumbled. "What's he planning?"

"Now I'll tune level 2 Torapart with level 4 Search Striker!" Trudge laughed. "Behold, this is the power of authority! Synchro Summon! A surprise encounter, Goyo Guardian!"

A white-faced man wearing black clothing and a blue backpack, holding a rope with a dart on the end appeared from above. (Lvl 6 2800/2000).

Sarah frowned, "Quite the monster… that's a new one," She said.

"Just wait 'til you see him in action! Goyo Guardian, attack her face-down monster!" The rope-dart shot forwards, and the card flipped up, revealing an elderly, spirit-like being composed of water, wearing a black robe with white sleeves, a cane in one hand, and a peach in the other. On his back was a shell of some kind. (Lvl 4 1800/600).

"Bad move Trudge, when Hebo is normal or flip summoned, I target one monster on the field, and it is turned into a spirit monster, which returns to it's owner's hand during the end phase!" Sarah called out. "So Goyo Guardian can become a spirit, and you can hope that my next draw is not what I'm after!"

Trudge growled, "When Goyo Guardian destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the grave, he can take control of that monster, and summon it to my side!" Nothing happened.

"Idiot. Spirit monsters can't be special summoned," Sarah said.

"I end my turn then, make yours count, Sarah." Goyo Guardian vanished, and Trudge growled.

"My draw!" Sarah called.

* * *

 **S: SC 3  
T: SC 3**

* * *

She almost didn't want to see what she had drawn, but she did, and a ghost of a smile hit her face. "Alright, here we go!" She grinned.

"I activate the Speed Spell – Overboost! This handy little spell increases my speed counters by six until the end phase, when I'm reduced to one!" Sarah called out.

* * *

 **S: SC 9**

* * *

"Now, with all this amazing speed, I think it's time I finish this! I summon Shinobird Crane in attack mode!" She called out, slapping down a card. A birdwoman wearing white clothing, a pointed helm and armed with a large bow appeared next to the ritual monster. (Lvl 4 1500/1500).

"Next, I activate the Speed Spell – Advanced Ritual Art!" She yelled, thrusting the card up, before playing it. "With the power of this card, and at the mere cost of four speed counters, I can ritual summon a monster by sending normal monsters from my deck to the grave who's level equals or exceeds a ritual monster's in my hand!"

* * *

 **S: SC 5**

* * *

She gave a smirk, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon will take one for the team!" She called. "Wings of brilliance, spread now and show true beauty! Ritual Summon! Shine, Shinobaroness Peacock!"

A woman wearing eastern style clothing, with long brown hair and a headdress, she spread her arms, showing her sleeves to have the same pattern as a peacock's feathers. In her hand was a battle fan. (Lvl 8 2500/3000).

"Ladies and gentlemen! This is a first for the Memorial Circuit! Sarah Radcliffe has summoned a ritual monster in a turbo duel!" The MC called out. "Give it up for this remarkable woman!"

"When Shinobaroness is summoned to the field, I shuffle up to three spells and traps you control into the deck!" Sarah said. "So both your face-downs can go away now."

"Oh, and if Baroness carries out her effect, I can special summon one level four or lower spirit monster from my deck!" Sarah called. "Come out, Nikitama!" A green version of Aratama appeared. (Lvl 4 800/1800).

Trudge growled. "And that's not all, when a spirit is summoned while I control Crane, I can draw a card!" She did so, and smiled. "Very nice. By returning Shinobird Crane to my hand- and therefore, Shinobird Salvation wipes out Pursuit Chaser, -I can summon the tuner monster, Genex Ally Birdman!" A smallish green robot with a yellow bird-like beak and with white wings appeared. (Lvl 3 1400/400).

Trudge paled. "Oh you gotta' be kidding…" He gulped.

"Going for overkill I see… well I can't blame her," Yusei shrugged.

"Birdman, give Nikitama a tune-up!" Sarah called out, both her eyes and hand starting to glow green. "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

An alternating white and black dragon with blue armour on the chest, arms and head appeared, it had four large wings of light blue crystals, and a long tail that stretched out behind it. (Lvl 7 2500/2000).

"Interesting…" Goodwin observed.

"Shinobaroness Peacock! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! End this duel!" Sarah called out. Her two monsters seemed to nod to each other, before the latter fired a beam of energy, and the former charging forwards to slice at Trudge with her fan.

* * *

 **T: 0**

* * *

As Trudge's duel runner coughed up smoke, his emergency brakes bringing him to a stop, Sarah decided to take a victory lap.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Radcliffe, in a sense of flair and maybe slightly overkill, pulls off an impressive victory!" The MC called.

Sarah came to a halt next to Trudge, "Listen street cop, back off from me and my sister," She told him. She turned to the MC, and made a microphone action.

"Everyone, Miss Radcliffe would like to make an announcement," He said.

"People of Neo Domino City. Most of you might believe that I'm a criminal, that I deserve to be locked away and never see the light of day again," Sarah said, taking off her helmet and looking around the stadium.

"This is not true. I took a chance and crossed the sea into the city, and got picked out of thousands of citizens to participate in this Fortune Cup. The same can be said for my fellow satellites, Yusei, and Kione, we're human beings, at least treat us like such. Thank you for your time."

She then put her helmet back on, and rode her runner down into the pits, where Kione was waiting, "Good job big sis." She smiled, glomping her sister in a hug.

"No way was I letting Trudge cart us off kiddo," Sarah told her. "Now, how about something to eat?" She asked.

"I saw a hotdog stand outside," Kione smiled.

* * *

Marcus watched them leave with Yusei, "Those two are extremely close, aren't they?" He asked.

"Yup, they're all the other has, they lost their parents to the satellite," Yusei nodded. "I want to see that bridge finished one day… Daedalus Bridge."

"You mean to unite Neo Domino and Satellite? Risky, but I see why it needs to happen," Marcus agreed.

A short while later, every competitor which was going on to the second round was stood in the waiting lounge, " _Well folks, round 1 is over!"_ MC called out. _"Now, please direct your attention to the match-ups for round 2!"_

The screen changed and went something like this.

Marcus vs Koda  
Yusei vs Emma  
Akiza vs Daiki  
Greiger vs Sarah

Marcus glanced at his new opponent, and decided it was time to revisit his corner of cards to rehearse his deck.

" _Round two will commence tomorrow at 10AM sharp! And to all you competitors, good luck!"_ MC called out.

* * *

 **Marcus: So, another turbo duel, and I got to give Goyo Guardian the zero respect it deserves.**

 **Sarah: I think you mean I did it.**

 **Marcus: Fair enough.**

 **Sarah: You gave me Greiger? Really?!**

 **Emma: And I have to duel Yusei!**

 **Daiki: You two have it easy, I've got the girl who loves to dish out pain.**

 **Marcus: And I think I might have a memory lane coming my way...**

 **All: Next time: Princess of Spirits!**


	12. Chapter 12: Princess of Spirits

**Like I've said before, I plan on giving the twins a lot more action, so, I've decided to come up with something that will eventually lead to both becoming much stronger, even giving someone like Yusei or Jack a run for their money.**

 **For now, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Princess of Spirits**

 **Title Song: Ruka's theme**

* * *

"Good morning to you all Neo Domino City, its time for day two of the Fortune Cup! However, before we get started with the main attractions, Director Goodwin has decided to offer two defeated competitors the chance to duel, and re-join the tournament!"

The screen above him began shuffling the portraits for Kione, Luna, The Professor, Trudge, Ken, Hunter, Ransborg and The Dark Empress. Then, the first portrait lit up.

"The Professor will be facing…" The other portrait lit up. "Miss Luna!" Floodlights shone down upon the two, and Marcus noted it was on the actual Luna, not Leo.

"Goodwin's up to something… he doesn't usually allow second chances…" Trudge grumbled.

"For once, you and I can agree on something…" Sarah nodded.

Luna and The Professor stepped onto the duel field, and the duel began.

* * *

Marcus observed how The Professor seemed to always return to one monster, Ido, the Supreme Magical Force, a strange reptilian monster composed of some cosmic energy.

Emma, sat next to him, was frowning, as she looked at Ido, it seemed to have a hypnotic feeling, and Luna's eyes, and movements, seemed to be glazed over, controlled.

A echoing wail came from her left, and she turned to see a brown puffball with heavenly wings. _Winged Kuriboh?_

 _"_ _Lady Emma, there is trouble afoot."_

She glanced with a start, as she suddenly saw a ghostly apparition of Elemental HERO Burstinatrix.

"Explain," Emma whispered to the red clad woman.

 _"_ _The spirit world is in danger, and it's all centred around that man,"_ Burstinatrix told her.

"Marcus," Emma poked her brother's side, "I need to go lie down for a little bit."

Marcus glanced down at her, "I see, do you want me to come along?" He asked.

"No, I can manage," Emma shook her head. She gripped her wheels and headed out of the room.

She wheeled to the disabled bathroom, and muscled her way in, locking the door, and then sighed, "Burstinatrix… I'm ready."

 _"_ _As you wish_." Emma closed her eyes, before she felt herself leaving her body.

* * *

When she opened them, she saw she was sat in a clearing, in a forest. "Welcome back to the spirit world." She muttered, standing up. She glanced down, and smiled, whenever she was brought here, she could use her own two feet.

A black hound with blue lines on his body burst from the treeline, "Wroughtweiler!" Emma grinned, climbing onto the armoured dog.

As the monster took off, Emma glanced around, "What's the matter Wroughtweiler?" She asked.

"The Spirit world is in danger, an aggressor has entered this world by manipulating another chosen," Wroughtweiler growled.

 _Luna_. Emma thought with worry. _Be careful, I'm on my way!_

* * *

Wroughtweiler kept sprinting, and as they travelled, Emma noticed that the Ancient Forest was starting to wilt and fade, and the scenery was being replaced by a desolate wasteland.

"This is bad, the meddler is creating corruption!" Wroughtweiler snarled.

"Hey, what's that ahead?!" Emma called.

A white horse with a blue mane and tail was ahead, and next to it was a small brown puffball with a tail, and between them was…

"Luna!" Emma called.

The teal haired girl turned, and gasped, as Wroughtweiler screeched to a halt next to her. She then noticed the monster also had a rider. "Emma?! What are you doing here? How did you get here?" She asked.

"I have the same gift as you, I can travel between our world and the spirit world," Emma explained.

Both girls then frowned, as they looked forwards to see a large rock on the other side of a dried-up lake. "Hello?" Luna asked nervously.

"I am here Luna. Trapped in this granite prison, I have been waiting for your return," A disembodied voice replied.

"I don't get it. What do you want from me?" Luna asked. Emma closely examined the rock, seeing what looks like the skeleton of some sort of dragon.

"That dragon…" Luna mumbled. Then something seemed to hit her, "Hang on a sec! That dragon looks familiar!"

Emma glanced at her friend, "What do you mean? Have you seen this dragon before?"

"It's you… it's… Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna gasped.

"We meet again, now it is time for you to fulfil your promise, or your brother's spirit will be trapped here forever," The dragon stone said, as a mist passed between them.

"What do you mean? Where's my brother?" Luna asked.

"His spirit is trapped between your world and ours Lady Luna," Wroughtweiler growled behind the two girls.

"Indeed, now, let me take you back to the first time you came here, and made a promise, that will save this world, and your brother's spirit," Ancient Fairy Dragon said. Emma and Luna saw a smaller Luna playing with a Key Mage, a Sunny Pixie, Kuribons, Spore and Petit Angel, with a majestic dragon watching them play.

The dragon had blue scales, with a golden crest on it's chest, with three red gemstones on the middle. It had two long, slender arms and a long tail. It's wings were open, glowing with light. It's head had a golden and red headdress, with a blue gem on it's forehead, and green hair, the same as Luna's, flowed behind her.

Young Luna finished making a flower crown, and put it on Kuribons' head, "All done," she smiled, causing the monsters to cheer. Then, the small girl shivered, "It's cold…" She mumbled.

The flower crown then shrivelled up, falling apart. "Aw… the flowers, they wilted…" Luna frowned.

"The spirit world is in danger, Luna. An evil force has been trying to gain access to this place, to take over, with sinister intent. This force reaches out to squeeze the heart of our beloved land. As this evil grows in strength, the light of the spirit world will begin to fade, and the beauty of this realm will be replaced by sorrow and darkness," Ancient Fairy Dragon said to the small child.

"Can't you stop it?" Little Luna asked.

"No, but you can Luna."

"What can I do?"

"You are one of the bridges that connects your world and ours. Stay with us Luna, protect us, and in return, we can help you," AFD said. "We feel your sadness my child, we know you're lonely. You are lonely, aren't you?"

"Yeah… mom and dad are always away on important business trips and stuff, and I don't go to school like other kids, and my silly egghead brother only cares about himself!" She pumped her arms adorably. "Ok Fairy Dragon, I'll stay here and protect you! I'll stay and protect everyone!"

As Ancient Fairy Dragon wrapped her wings around Luna and the monsters, Emma turned back to the dragon in the rock. "You took advantage of an innocent child with a lonely life, and now the fate of this world, and her brother, rests in her hands?"

"And who are you, friend of Luna?" AFD asked.

"Emma Cersy, friend of the Elemental HEROs," Emma said, folding her arms.

"I didn't take advantage of her. This was what fate, and my master, had planned for her," The dragon in the stone said.

"So, she must face this duel alone?" Asked Emma.

"She must."

At that moment, a roar came from behind, causing both to turn, seeing Ido, the Supreme Magical Force towering over them.

Then, in front of Ido, was the Professor, who chuckled. "I cannot believe that I actually crossed over!" Prof said. "I have left my body behind… I'm in the spirit world!" He grinned.

"What do you want?" Luna asked.

"You are much more important than you realise my dear, now be a good girl and use your signer power and reveal this world's secrets to me," Prof said.

"Ok… someone is getting a little too creepy for my liking," Emma mumbled, she put a hand on Luna's shoulder, "Listen Luna, I think this guy is part of that evil force AFD was talking about, just look at him, darkness is practically oozing out of him."

"But I can't do this!" Luna protested.

"You can Luna!" Emma insisted. "You are one of the few gifted with this ability to speak with spirits and travel to their world. Remember the duel at the penthouse? Kick his butt!"

Luna frowned, but glanced back at the stone monument of Ancient Fairy Dragon. "Alright, I'll fight to protect this world, but more importantly, I'm fighting for my brother's spirit!" She nodded. Hers and the Professor's duel disks reappear on their arms.

* * *

 **P: 3700  
L: 1500**

* * *

On Luna's field were Kuribon (Lvl 1 300/200) and Sunlight Unicorn (Lvl 4 1800/1000), and she had a face-up spell in play, the equip spell Horn of the Unicorn, which is equipped to Sunlight Unicorn, increasing it's attack to 2500, and defence to 1700. She also has two face-downs. Lastly, she has the field spell Ancient Forest in play, which prevents monsters from being summoned in defence mode, and destroys any monster that commences an attack.

Professor's field was his Ido, The Supreme Magical Force (Lvl 6 2200/800), a face-up trap, Gestalt Trap, which is equipped to Kuribon, reducing it's attack to 0, and a face-up equip spell, Immortal Homeostasis, which was also equipped to Kuribon, which prevents it from being destroyed by battle.

"I reveal a face-down! It's called Pixie Ring! Since I control two monsters, and both are in attack position, you can't attack the weaker one, which means Kuribon is safe! You won't harm my friends ever again!"

Frank just laughs, "Well, let's see how you plan to protect them when I play the Wave of Ill Intent! We'll get to it's effect, once Ido attacks Sunlight Unicorn!" His large cosmic beast raised a massive paw of claws, but Sunlight Unicorn struck back, destroying the weaker monster.

* * *

 **P: 3400**

* * *

"Now my Wave of Ill Intent activates, slamming you with 300 points of damage!" A wave of red energy washed over Luna, causing her to yell out in pain.

* * *

 **L: 1200**

* * *

"That wasn't that bad…" She gasped, but wobbled on her feet, causing Emma to steady her.

"Well it's about to get worse! I activate Spirit Contamination! Since you destroyed a monster of mine, I can play this and destroy a spell or trap you control, like your Pixie Ring!"

Luna frowned, seeing the card she just played be destroyed, "Sorry Kuribon," She said.

"I end my turn, which means Ido returns to my side once again!" As he said, Ido rematerialized.

"Then it's my move!" Luna said, already bracing herself.

"During your standby phase, since Kuribon's attack points are not it's original, Immortal Homeostasis hits you with another 300 points of damage!" Another wave of energy washed over Luna.

* * *

 **L: 900**

* * *

"I activate Healing Wind from my hand! Now, for each monster on the field, yours included, I gain 200 lifepoints!"

* * *

 **L: 1500**

* * *

"I end my turn!" Luna called out.

"Atta girl," Emma mumbled.

"Goodwin was a fool to think I'd share the Spirit realm with him and his Ylliaster allies, I've devoted my entire life to figure out a way to connect to this world, now that I'm standing here, I shall steal its power for myself! The spirit world will be mine! It will crumble before me!" Professor laughed.

More darkness oozed from his body, corrupting more of the land, causing rock and trees alike to shatter and rot.

"You monster! The spirit world is the home of every monster card in your deck! If you destroy this world, your monsters will hate you for eternity!" Emma yelled.

"I don't care, I will have this world, it, and your Kuribon will perish! Ido! Attack!" Prof yelled.

"Luna, you'd better make a play!" Emma called out.

"I know! I play Fairy Wind!" Luna yelled. "Listen up Professor! I'm not going to let you cause anymore damage to the spirit world! Your evil and destructive ways end now! Fairy Wind destroys all face-up spell and traps on the field, and we both take 400 for each of our cards destroyed!"

"What?!" Prof growled.

* * *

 **P: 2200  
L: 300**

* * *

"And since your equip spell was destroyed, Kuribons' attack returns to normal!" Luna finished.

"And you will not stop me from achieving my destiny! Attack now Ido!" Professor yelled.

"Kuribons' special ability activates, when it's targeted for an attack, he can return to my hand! You can't touch him! And although you gain lifepoints equal to your Ido's attack, I was able to keep my Kuribons safe!"

* * *

 **P: 4400**

* * *

Emma raised an eyebrow, "Hope you have a plan to stop him now."

"Now I will break you, and your promise!" Prof countered. "There is nothing you can do to save this world! I will destroy it, and rebuild it under my rule!"

As he spoke, the ground started to shake, and the rock around Ancient Fairy Dragon's seal shattered, releasing a stone version of the dragon.

"Fairy Dragon! Oh man, she looks super mad right now…" Luna gulped.

"I'll say… what's she doing?" Emma asked. A long arm stretched out, "Look out!" She gasped, pushing Luna to her knees.

The arm, and the hand attached, grabbed the Prof, and lifted him into the air, although he didn't even seem to notice that he was about to be eaten or squished.

"Put him down Fairy Dragon! If you crush him, you're no better than him!" Emma called up.

"Maybe I must end this duel…! I activate Oberon's Prank! This trap reverses Kuribon's effect, and we both take damage equal to the same amount!" Luna called out.

A massive tornado shot down from above, and both Professor and Luna yelled out as they were blown off their feet and into the air.

* * *

 **P: 0  
L: 0**

* * *

"Luna! Whoa!" Emma yelped as she was pulled into the air as well.

"The evil is gone," Ancient Fairy Dragon said, "But you must stop the person who sealed me away!"

Emma squinted her eyes as the tornado seemed to push her out of the spirit realm.

* * *

Marcus blinked, seeing that the lifepoints had been updated, "Someone, or something has meddled…" He said, noticing Emma roll back in.

"What'd I miss?" She asked.

"A draw, that's what," Marcus frowned. "How'd it go?"

"That professor guy's a creepy dude, he almost destroyed the spirit world," Emma told him quietly.

"I see…" Marcus muttered.

"There was something interesting actually, as she duelled, I saw a red claw mark on Luna's right arm," Emma whispered.

"Interesting…" Marcus said. He glanced down at his hand, and his eyes narrowed.

 _Those star marks, these red marks, what does it all mean? And why is Goodwin being so suspicious._ He said, pulling out a notebook and writing down Emma's observation.

He sighed, "I think I'm next, and this Koda guy should be interesting to duel," He then said, grabbing his duel disk.

* * *

Emma pulled out her phone, hearing it vibrate. She rolled into the corner of the room, and answered it.

 _"_ _Why'd you come and help me?"_ Luna asked.

"Because you are more important to the spirit world than even Fairy Dragon can say. Luna, you are the Princess of Spirits, one of my monsters told me, and they also said that I must protect you however I can," Emma said.

 _"_ _Princess of Spirits? What does that mean?"_ Luna asked.

"Even I can't say that, because I don't know, don't worry, I'll help you figure this out," Emma told her friend. "We can work together on this."

 _"_ _Thanks Emma, for being my friend,"_ Luna replied, and Emma could tell that the teal haired girl was smiling.

"You're very welcome, Luna," Emma smiled, and signed off.

* * *

 **Marcus: I always found Luna's backstory to be rather sad, so I plan on fixing that by making her life more exciting.**

 **Emma: Hey, I'm not complaining, friends are fun!**

 **Luna: Neither am I.**

 **Sarah: Ok, what's your plan for Koda?**

 **Marcus: Just wait and see.**

 **All: Next time: Memory Lane!**


	13. Chapter 13: Memory Lane

**Sorry that this one took a while, believe it or not, I had to come up with some backstory for Marcus as I hadn't done it yet! So here we are, the duel of Marcus vs Koda.**

 **Read, enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Memory Lane**

 **Title Song: Never Turn Back (Crush 40)**

* * *

Marcus rose up onto the duel field, as did his opponent, Commander Koda. "Good to see you again Marcus," Koda said.

"Again?" Marcus asked. _Where had he seen this man before?_

"We were classmates five years ago at the Duel Academy Island," Koda said.

Marcus racked his brain but came up empty. "Nope," He shrugged.

"Well… I shall make you remember," Koda said, slightly menacingly.

Marcus didn't like that last comment. Did Koda despise him or something? Either way, the dragon duellist activated his duel disk, and took a stance, as did Koda.

"DUEL!" They both called out.

* * *

 **K: 4000  
M: 4000**

* * *

"I'll go first!" Koda said, drawing. "I'll set three face-downs and end my turn."

Marcus' eyes narrowed but drew his card. "I'll start by summoning Dragon Knight of Creation!" His dragon man appeared, donned in his golden armour, and hefting his massive sword. (Lvl 4 1800/600).

"Dragon Knight! Attack Koda directly with Creation Blade!" His knight leapt across to the opponent, slashing at him.

* * *

 **K: 2400**

* * *

"I activate the Crime and Punishment trap! When I take damage from a direct attack, I destroy the attacking monster and get to summon one of my own," Koda said.

Dragon Knight was destroyed, and a portal appeared on Koda's side. "Come and join me Agent of Hatred!" A weird black and orange worm with a multitude of purple tentacles and white teeth appeared. (Lvl 4 0/0). "It's now that Agent of Hatred's ability comes into play, restoring my life points by the amount lost in one battle this turn."

* * *

 **K: 4000**

* * *

Koda then smirked, "I then activate my second face-down, Inferno Reckless Summon, this allows me to summon two more Agent of Hatred!" His black and orange worm split into three.

Marcus growled, he walked right into that one. "I set two face-downs and end my turn."

"Just like you were all those years ago," Koda laughed. "Do you really believe that I would let you beat me around like you used to?"

Marcus' eyes widened, "Wait a minute…" He mumbled. "Speckles?" He asked.

Koda straight up growled, "I _hated_ that name!" He roared.

Marcus breathed heavily, thinking back.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

"Felgrand Dragon, wipe out the rest of his lifepoints!" A younger Marcus yelled, a slightly less impressive version of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand roaring before letting out a powerful laser.

* * *

 **?: 0**

* * *

"The match is over! With that display, Marcus will keep his Obelisk Blue rank and Koda will be moving down to Slifer Red," Their teacher said.

"Thank you Professor," Marcus bowed. He glanced at his opponent, "If I were you Speckles, I'd get moving, Slifer's dorms aren't exactly close to the school."

The younger Koda growled, "I won't forget this Cersy!" He said.

"Remember our deal as well," Marcus said. "I'll see you at the lighthouse."

* * *

That night, Marcus was standing on the docks, gazing out to sea, arms folded. "You came after all," He said, hearing the pathetic boy approaching behind him, wearing the Slifer Red jacket.

"It's not like I had a choice, is it?" Koda growled.

"Damn straight, now, hand it over," Marcus nodded.

Koda reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a card. "Ghost rare copy of Blue Eyes White Dragon," He said.

"And now it belongs to me," Marcus sneered. "A card this powerful and rare didn't belong in the hands of a weakling like you. You don't even use dragons."

"It belonged to my dad! He gave it to me as a good luck charm, the day I left for Duel Academy," Koda told him.

"Be thankful that I don't tear it up then," Marcus eyed him. "Now get lost."

* * *

 **End Flashback**

* * *

Marcus sighed, he hadn't been at his best then, in fact, the ego of Obelisk Blue went to his head. He had thought of every student who wasn't in his dorm as worthless trash, except for one, a girl in Ra Yellow who he shared a relationship with.

He had kept his scumbag self away from her, until she found out he was a complete bully to all of her fellow students. She dumped him on the spot, and told the chancellor all about his worse than despicable acts.

After that, he was expelled, and was sent home. After that, he had to expel the ego he had built, he rebuilt his deck, he burnt all his Obelisk Blue clothes, and applied for the Duel Academy in Neo Domino City, as did his sister, which led him to where he was today.

"I will make you pay for what you did!" Koda scowled. "I draw, and activate the spell Mind Monster! This allows me to declare a monster, and if you have it in your deck, you take half that monster's attack points!"

Marcus hid a rare case of fear, "Now let me think… Which monster did you take from me again? One I know you had already?! I declare Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

* * *

 **M: 2500**

* * *

"It seems our two competitors have a bit of history folks! Koda easily guessed one of Marcus' cards!" MC called out.

"I knew you'd pick him…" Marcus sighed.

"I'll then end my turn," Koda said.

"I'm up then," Marcus said, and drew his card.

"Look Koda… I'm not the same person I was five years ago, I care for those around me, I despise bullying because of the things I did… I don't know how I can make it up to you, because I can't lose this duel!" He called out.

"I play Dragon's Ravine!" He said, putting the card in the far right side of his duel disk, like he would a regular spell or trap. The setting around them rapidly changed, with the two duellists standing on opposite sides of a massive ravine that went down for miles and miles. "The power of this field spell allows me to discard a card from my hand, then I can send a dragon type monster from my deck to the graveyard!"

He pulled out his deck, and selected one card, putting the deck back in and letting the auto-shuffle take place. He then put the card in the graveyard. "I put my Lord, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand in the graveyard!" He said.

* * *

Down in the lobby, Yusei's eyes widened, "That's his ace card, what's he doing?"

"Relax," Emma assured him. "I'll give you a dollar if you figure out his duel style before he reveals it to us."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, "I think I got it," She muttered.

* * *

"Are you done with your turn or are you giving up?" Koda asked.

"Hmm…" Marcus glanced at his hand. "I'll set a face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's mine!" Koda began.

"Hold it Koda! I play the effect of Arkbrave Dragon which is sitting in my graveyard, during the standby phase of the turn after I send it to the grave, it's power allows me to summon one level 7 or 8 Dragon type monster from the grave, besides itself."

"Mighty lord of the land and the sky, descend upon the world and rule your subjects! Revival Summon! Bring order my lord! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" A huge dragon with gold and white scales descended from holographic clouds, the light radiating from it's body and scales shining away. (Lvl 8 2800/2800).

"Now my lord's effect activates! When it is summoned from the graveyard, I can target a monster on your field or in your grave and remove it from play, and my lord gains attack equal to that monster's level multiplied by a hundred!"

"Halt! I play a trap!" Koda told him. "Memory Loss! Since your attack position monster activated it's effect, I can negate the effect and switch Lord Felgrand to defence mode!"

Marcus fumed, "Not bad…" He mumbled.

"I sacrifice the three Agents of Hatred on my field to summon the Mad Profiler!" Koda called out. A lean man with a very pale shade of purple skin appeared, wearing a green coat over a green shirt and light grey pants. He carried a crazed look in his wide eyes and toothy grin and was sat in a creepy chair, a book hovering in front of him. (Lvl 8 2600/1600).

"Now I'll tap into the Mad Profiler's special ability, so by discarding a spell card, I can remove one of yours from play, and I choose your Dragon Ravine!" Koda said.

As the field returned to normal, Marcus growled, "But wait, I'm not done! I can use Mad Profiler's effect more than once! So now I'll remove Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand from the duel by getting rid of a monster card!"

Marcus gasped as his ace monster was removed from the game. "Damn it!" He scowled.

"Next I'll play the equip spell Destruction Insurance!" Koda said. "So now, when Mad Profiler is destroyed, you take damage equal to half it's attack points!"

He then played another card, "But wait, there's more! I now play Lightlow Protection! This equip spell means that if you were to change the attack points of my Mad Profiler due to an effect, this will destroy the card that did the deed."

"With that, Mad Profiler! Attack Marcus directly!" Koda commanded.

"If Marcus doesn't block this he'll lose!" Leo gasped from the stands.

"Marcus!" Called Luna and Dexter.

"I play a spell! Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" Marcus called out. "This spell lets me add to my hand or special summon any form of Kuriboh or a Winged Kuriboh from my deck!" He said.

"Winged Kuriboh, come on out!" He said, slapping down the small monster, which was a brown ball of fur with black eyes, stubby green arms and legs with little claws and a pair of white angel wings on it's back. (Lvl 1 300/200).

"Then squash that furball!" Koda grinned. The Mad Profiler sprang out of his chair, and slammed his book into the small creature, destroying it.

"Check your gear, your life points haven't changed!" Koda growled.

"Nope, my gear is fine, it's your brain that needs checking, on the turn that Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take zero damage!" He said. _Thanks for the cards Em…_ He thought with relief.

"You've bought a turn, but with your field empty and your ace out of play, it's only a matter of time before I finish you off!" Koda told him.

"We'll see," Marcus said. "I draw." He glanced at the card, and grinned, "Go time," He said.

"I play my trap, Call of the Haunted! This lets me revive a monster that sleeps in my graveyard! You may have banished my lord, but I have more to choose from! I bring back Arkbrave Dragon!"

At his call, a silver dragon with a golden crest, and details on its scales and wings roared, appearing and stretching found wings out. (Lvl 7 2400/2000).

"Nice monster, but not good enough!" Koda remarked.

"Not quite, when Arkbrave Dragon is summoned from the grave, I can remove all your face-up spells and traps, and Arkbrave gains attack equal to that number multiplied by 200!" Marcus said, "Go! Magical Remover!" He said. Arkbrave roared, and the two spells behind the Mad Profiler vanished. (2800/2000).

"Then I'll summon Delta Flyer in attack mode!" He called, causing a yellow and blue dragon with two wings to appear. (Lvl 3 1500/900). "Delta's ability allows me to increase the level of one other monster on my field by one, so Arkbrave will become a level 8!"

"Now level 3 Delta Flyer tune now with level 8 Arkbrave Dragon!" Marcus called.

"The universe will tremble in fear before the death of the cosmos! Extinguish the stars with your insatiable hunger!" Marcus yelled, his hand glowing gold, as well as his eyes. "SYNCHRO SUMMON! Devour the sun! STAR EATER!"

A massive serpentine dragon with red and black skin descended from some clouds, with a wingspan that was the width of two massive airbuses. It's eyes glanced around, before settling on Koda. (Lvl 11 3200/2800).

"His summon can't be negated, effects can't be activated in response to his summon, and when he attacks, he is immune to all effects until the end of the damage step!"

"I activate Return of the Dragon Lords! The powerful magic this card holds allows me to summon a level 7 or 8 Dragon type monster from my graveyard, so welcome back Arkbrave!"

"Star Eater! Attack Mad Profiler with Breath of the Devoured Stars!" Marcus roared. His dragon rose into the air, coiled a couple of times, before a massive red laser shot from his mouth, shredding the Mad Profiler completely.

* * *

 **K: 3400**

* * *

"Arkbrave Dragon, your turn! Destroy his lifepoints!" As his dragon lifted up to attack, he picked up his last card, "Now, let's go Ego Boost! When a monster I control attacks, I can use this spell to increase its attack points by 1000!" He yelled. Arkbrave shone, and the shine washed over Koda. (3400/2000).

* * *

 **K: 0**

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen. It Is. Over~!" MC yelled out, as the holograms faded. "With a sky controlling victory, Marcus rains down defeat upon Koda!"

Marcus sighed, lowering his duel disk, "Damn it!" Koda yelled out. "I can't believe I lost…" He said, punching the ground.

Marcus reached into his pocket and walked over. "Koda," He said softly. "I'd like to officially apologise to you," He pulled something out of his pocket, and revealed it to the defeated duellist.

"Ghost rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon," He said. "The one I won from you after your promotion match."

"My father's card! You… kept it all these years?" He asked.

"Yup," Marcus nodded, "I want you to take it back." He put it in Koda's hand.

"All this time… I hated you for taking my card, bullying me endlessly… Never thought I would ever say this to an Obelisk Blue… but thank you, Elitist Snob," Koda chuckled, before he teared up.

"You're welcome, you Slifer Slacker," Marcus laughed. "And I'll happily duel you again, anytime, anywhere."

* * *

 **Sarah: Wow, the younger you reminded me a lot of Chazz Princeton, mixed with a bit of Zane Truesdale.**

 **Marcus: Yeah... I see that resemblance, but I was a dick.**

 **Sarah: But you've worked hard to change since then.**

 **Marcus: Oh well, the past is past.**

 **All: Next Time: A Battle of Warriors!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Battle of Warriors

**So, I have returned again, and with a real brain teaser of a chapter. Seriously, this one was hard! I had to come up with a way to let both duellists put up a fight, but for the winner to unleash their big boss monster and win, even though the opponent's was already out, and stronger than the winner's.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: A Battle of Warriors**

 **Title Song: Flight of the Silverbird - Two Steps from Hell**

* * *

"Alright, duel fans! This next duel is going to be an interesting one," The MC called out. "Emma Cersy is going up against Yusei Fudo!"

"I don't know who to cheer for," Leo pouted, folding his arms.

"I know…" Luna nodded.

"No offense, but I'm cheering on Emma, her deck rules!" Dexter grinned.

"But Yusei's no slouch either," Tanner shrugged. "Honestly, this duel could go either way."

* * *

"You ready to rock?" Marcus asked her. "Yusei's tough, remember, he beat me."

"No one is unbeatable bro, everyone has a chance to brick and then get ruined by the opponent," Emma said, putting her deck down on her right armrest. "Wish me luck."

* * *

The two duellists were brought up to the center stage. "You know, I've actually never duelled a HERO deck before, I hope I get a good experience from this one!" Yusei said, putting his deck in the disk on his arm.

"And ever since I saw you duel big bro, I had to see if I could do what he couldn't!" Emma grinned as her field slid into play across her armrests.

"DUEL!"

* * *

 **E: 4000  
Y: 4000**

* * *

"I'll start off, and set one monster face-down in defence mode!" Emma said. "I'll then set two face-downs and end my turn."

"Then it's my move, and I'm summoning out Speed Warrior in attack mode!" Yusei said, slapping down the card, and bringing out a tall robotic warrior with gun metal grey armour and wheels for feet. (Lvl 2 900/400).

"Now, time for my battle, Speed Warrior, let's see what her face-down is!" Yusei commanded. "And when Speed Warrior attacks on the turn he's summoned, his attack points double!" (1800/400)

Speed Warrior dashed over, and made a spinning kick towards Emma's card. It flipped up, revealing the rocky and sturdy body of Elemental HERO Clayman. (Lvl 4 800/2000).

* * *

 **Y: 3800**

* * *

"So that's Clayman… 2000 defence points, wow," Yusei blinked. "I set a pair of cards face down and end my turn." Speed Warrior's attack returning to normal (900/400)

Emma nodded, "I'm up!" She said. "I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack mode!" She called out. A tall futuristic warrior with gold and blue armour appeared in a shower of sparks. (1600/1400).

"Sparkman! Attack Speed Warrior with Static Shockwave!" Emma called. Her monster released a wave of sparks that electrified Yusei's monster and destroyed it.

* * *

 **Y: 3100**

* * *

"I'll end my turn with that," Emma said.

Yusei drew his card, "Draw! I summon Junk Synchron!" His stubby man with orange armour and a motor engine on his back appeared. (Lvl 3 1300/500). "His effect allows me to bring back a not-so-old friend! Speed Warrior rise again!"

As Speed Warrior returned, Yusei quickly got things going, "Now I tune level 3 Junk Synchron with level 2 Speed Warrior!"

"Gathering Stars will call upon a new force! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!" He chanted, as a tall purple armoured, leaner version of the little orange dude appeared in front of him. He also had the same engine motor on his back, as well as a pair of helicopter rotors. His eyes lit up, before he struck an attack pose. (Lvl 5 2300/1300).

"Junk Warrior! Attack HERO Clayman with Scrap Fist!" Yusei commanded, his monster charging and pulverising the defending warrior.

"I play my trap! HERO Signal! Because you destroyed a monster, I can play this and summon another HERO from my hand or deck! I call out another Clayman!" (lvl 4 800/2000).

"I'll end my turn then," Yusei said.

"I draw, and it's time for my own monsters to join forces!" Emma called out. "I play Polymerisation!"

"Uh oh! Emma's playing a fusion monster! And for those who don't know, Elemental HERO decks have a lot of options to choose from!" MC called out.

"I'll fuse Clayman with Elemental HERO Sparkman!" Emma said. "Stalwart defender of the earth, merge your might with a crackling thunderbolt!" She chanted. "Fusion Summon! Descend! Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!" A literal giant appeared, descending from where her two smaller monsters fused. He had bright yellow and white armour, with a pulsating orb in the middle of his chest, and black battle pants down to big yellow boots. He gave a loud roar as he stomped onto the ground. (Lvl 6 2400/1500).

"Thunder Giant's effect, by discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy a monster on the field with lower attack than his own!" Emma said. "Go! Destroy Junk Warrior!" She called out.

Her giant let out a massive zap that took out Yusei's warrior. "And that's not even the best part! Thunder Giant, attack Yusei directly with Voltic Thunder!"

"Trap card activate!" Yusei said, pressing a button on his disk. "Scrap Iron Scarecrow! This card blocks the attack of Thunder Giant, and is set back face-down for further use."

"Grr…" Emma growled. "Your turn."

"I draw, and set a monster in defence mode!" Yusei said, playing the card. "I'll also set a face-down and end my turn."

 _He made a wise move there, Thunder Giant's effect only targets face-_ up _monsters._ Emma growled. "I draw! Thunder Giant, attack his face-down!" A large bolt of lightning struck down Yusei's face-down card, which revealed to be his Quillbolt Hedgehog. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"I end my turn with a face-down card," Emma said.

"I draw, and discard a monster card from my hand to summon Quickdraw Synchron!" The guy said, before a small mechanical man wearing a poncho, a cowboy hat and a holster appeared on his field. (Lvl 5 700/1400).

"I then play Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect from my graveyard! If I control a tuner monster, then I can summon him!" Yusei went on. A smallish orange furred rodent with large metal bolts sticking out it's back like quills appeared. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"Quickdraw Synchron can become the material of any synchro monster with a 'synchron' needed, so Quickdraw Synchron, tune now with Quillbolt Hedgehog!" Yusei called out.

"Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" A huge green ogre-like monster appeared on his field, with a large turbo engine strapped to his back. (Lvl 7 2800/1800).

"Next, I'll play the spell known as The Warrior Returning Alive! This allows me to return one warrior type monster to my hand from the graveyard! So Speed Warrior will be coming back," Yusei went on. "And I think I'll summon him!" (Lvl 2 900/400).

"When Nitro Warrior attacks on the turn I activate a spell card, he gains a thousand attack points!" Yusei said. (3800/1800). "Nitro Warrior, attack HERO Thunder Giant with Dynamite Crunch!" The two large warriors grumbled, but Nitro overpowered Emma's Giant.

* * *

 **E: 2600**

* * *

"And Speed Warrior will attack directly, with his attack points doubled!" Emma winced as the gunmetal grey warrior sped across to kick at her.

* * *

 **E: 800**

* * *

"I play Damage Condenser! This trap lets me summon a monster from my deck with attack equal or less than the damage I took! I summon my third and final Clayman!" She called out, as her stalwart stone guardian appeared once more. (Lvl 4 800/2000).

"So, you managed to buy some time," Yusei nodded. "Your move!"

"And now I draw!" Emma said. "I summon Rose, Warrior of Revenge in attack mode!" She said, a woman wearing a black catsuit with silver shoulders and bracers, holding a thin sword, she had red hair that blew in non-existent wind. (Lvl 4 1600/600).

"Now, Rose, Warrior of Revenge, give HERO Clayman a tuning!" Emma grinned. "Fallen soldiers lend their spirits to the true warrior! Shake the land with every step, and strike fear in the eyes of your enemies! Synchro Summon! Tower over them, Colossal Fighter!" She yelled, her hand starting to glow red, with her eyes also carrying a faint red hue. The monster she summed made Thunder Giant look like a midget. It was a large, pale, stone warrior with several jewels on it's arms and an emerald green visor. (Lvl 8 2800/1000).

She then took a card from her hand, "Next, I'll play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon and blow away that Scrap Iron Scarecrow!" Emma said, a tornado blowing the face-down off the ground before shattering. "Next is Colossal Fighter's ability! It gains one hundred attack per warrior monster in _either_ graveyard!" She went on.

"Either graveyard?!" Yusei gasped, as Colossal Fighter swelled in power, flexing its massive arms. (3600/1000).

"Colossal Fighter! Attack Nitro Warrior with Mega Punch!" Emma commanded. Her giant lumbered across, a huge fist punching into the green ogre monster with ease.

* * *

 **Y: 2300**

* * *

"Quite the beast…" Yusei muttered, staring up at the huge warrior. "Now let me show you one of mine!" He smirked, drawing a card.

"I play the spell called Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, as long as I discard two. Then I play Pot of Avarice! This spell lets me shuffle five monster cards into the deck, and then I get to draw two cards!" Yusei called out.

 _He's getting lots of draw power here… wonder what he's after…_ Emma thought.

"I chain it with Jar of Avarice! Targeting five cards, I shuffle them in to the deck and draw another card!" Yusei smirked as he finished his rush of drawing cards.

"Now, I'll summon Hyper Synchron!" A blue robot with a yellow chest, two huge engines on it's back and a red gem and red eyes appeared between the two level 2 monsters. (Lvl 4 1600/800).

"And since I have a tuner monster out, I can summon another Quillbolt Hedgehog which I discarded from Graceful Charity," Then his orange rodent with a bed of screws for a back. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"Since I summoned a monster from the grave, I can summon Doppelwarrior from my hand!" A man wearing a sharp suit with hat, and holding a rifle appeared. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"Now, let's GO!" Yusei called out. "Level four Hyper Synchron tunes with level two Doppelwarrior and Quillbolt Hedgehog!" He said. _I had hoped to preserve this for the rematch with Marcus… but his sister deserves it after she's fought so well._

"Clustering Wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take Flight! Stardust Dragon!" Yusei chanted.

Emma gasped as her eyes settled on the most beautiful dragon monster she had ever seen, it was a large dragon with white scales and blue crystals on it's chest, elbows and knees, as well as a three-pronged crest on it's head. Two huge wings spread open, showering stardust from them, and a long tail trailed out behind it. (Lvl 8 2500/2000).

Marcus blinked, "Holy…" He trailed off, nothing to say. He then observed that the yellow mark he had seen on his hand was glowing.

From a stand near the stadium, Sarah and Kione winced, as their hands began twitching, and glowing green and blue respectively.

Daiki watched, and gasped as his own grey mark lit up. "So… Yusei is a Signer," He smiled. The camera shifted to Emma, and his eyes widened when he saw a red star on her hand. _Jackpot! Miss Emma is a Star Guardian, just like me and Miss Kione…_

Emma grit her teeth as a singeing feeling came from her left hand, and she glanced down to see a red star. Across the field, Yusei was equally gritting his teeth as the mark he had been seeing the last few days appeared on his arm again.

He then adapted, and continued his turn, "When Hyper Synchron is used as synchro material for a Dragon type synchro monster, that monster gains eight hundred attack points!" Yusei went on. (3300/2000).

"Then I play Forbidden Chalice, this raises your Colossal Fighter's attack by four hundred, however, the catch is his effect is negated!" Yusei went on.

Emma could just watch as her monster drank from the holy grail. (3200/1000).

"And I'll also play Silver Contrails! This Spell increases the attack power of one monster on the field!" Yusei called out. His dragon roared as it swelled with power. (4300/2000).

"4300 attack points?!" Emma gasped.

"And that is enough for Stardust Dragon to attack! Go, Sonic Stream!" Yusei called out. His dragon reared back it's head, before spitting out a white laser. Emma yelled as her monster was defeated.

* * *

 **E: 0**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is over! Yusei pulled off an amazing combination after getting lucky with a lot of draw power!" The MC said. "Yusei Fudo will be advancing to the third round!"

"That was a great duel Emma," Yusei smiled, walking across the field to meet her halfway.

"Yeah, you made me bust out my ace monster, which I thought would work against you," Emma nodded. She held out her hand. "Until we duel again."

"Until we duel again," Yusei agreed.

Sarah and Kione returned to the stadium, to find Lazar waiting. "And where did you two run off to?" He asked.

"To get some lunch?" Sarah asked, holding up the last of her teriyaki. "What's it to you?" She asked.

"Please notify a member of staff the next time you wish to leave Memorial Circuit," Lazar said. "Or else we might take it as a sign of you withdrawing. And if you withdraw, you're off to the facility."

Sarah grit her teeth at the dark chuckle Lazar made, walking away. "Who does he think he is?!" She seethed.

"Calm down Sarah… focus, you have a turbo duel to look towards, it's Greiger next, and he doesn't look easy to beat," Kione said, pulling out a tablet.

"I know, he uses a machine deck, with the three reactors and his boss monster, SKYFIRE," Sarah frowned. "I need to come up with a way to beat world war four or else I'm toast."

* * *

 **Marcus: It could be a bit cheap, but don't underestimate the forbidden four.**

 **Emma: I know I won't let that happen again!**

 **Yusei: I'll probably take them out soon.**

 **Marcus: Good, because I know much better plays for your deck.**

 **All: Next time: War of the Sky!**


	15. Chapter 15: War of the Sky

**So, you may notice that Greiger doesn't use all the cards he does in the duel against Yusei, but oh well, it's still a pretty good looking duel nonetheless! So, without any further ado, Shinobirds vs Reaction Machines! Let's go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: War of the Sky**

 **Title: Dragon Rider - Two Steps From Hell  
**

* * *

"Attention duel fans! It's time for our next duel!" The MC called out. "Miss Sarah Radcliffe, the Ritual Spirit Mistress, is going to be going up against the Tower of Power, Greiger!"

"Tear up the track sis!" Kione called, she was now sat in the stands next to Mako Takahashi, which just so happened to be behind the twins she had seen yesterday, as well as a spectacled boy, an old man and a body builder. They all turned at her yell.

"Hey, you're that kid with the Ice Barrier deck!" The big man observed. "Kione, right?"

"Yep, but that Daiki guy was just too strong for me," Kione sighed. "So now I need to cheer for Sarah, so she can win!"

"If you don't mind me asking young lady, how'd you get that beauty mark?" The old man asked.

"You mean this?" Kione pointed to the marker on her face. "We tried to steal from the Sector Security HQ kitchen. Bad idea," She sighed.

"You… tried to steal from a kitchen?" Luna asked.

"Kid, in the Satellite, you'd be lucky to find a slice of bread, so people often got desperate," Mako spoke up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Please welcome our first contestant! Sarah Radcliffe!" The Black Spirit shot out of the tunnel, flying through the air before making a lap, arriving at the starting line.

There was then suddenly a loud scraping, rumbling noise, which roared through the circuit. "What's that?" Luna asked.

The MC answered, as out from a plume of smoke came a three-wheeled monster of a duel runner. "Whoa! That's Greiger's brand new duel runner! Rumour has it that it has so many bells and whistles that even Greiger hasn't figured out everything about it yet!"

Sarah gulped as the massive three-wheeler came around to form up behind her at the starting grid.

"How is that thing legal?" She asked.

"You call that tiny thing a duel runner?" Asked Greiger.

"Alright, duellists! Activate your Speed World!" The MC called out.

"Activating field spell, Speed World!" Both duellists said.

" _Speed World, engaged. Auto pilot standing by._ "

Then, a holographic set of lights came up, and both riders held the accelerators close. _Ok… I think it might be best to take the first turn, so let's get ready to gun it,_ Sarah thought.

The lights went green, "LET'S RIDE!"

Both runners shot forwards, with Sarah staying in the far inner side of the track.

"Sarah takes the first turn!" MC called out.

Both duellists grabbed their cards and made their hands.

* * *

 **S: 4000 SC: 0  
G: 4000 SC: 0**

* * *

"Then I draw!" Sarah called.

* * *

 **Both: SC 1**

* * *

"I set one monster face-down, then I'll set a pair of face-downs and end my turn," She said.

"Then I draw!" Greiger said.

* * *

 **Both: SC 2**

* * *

"And summon Spell Reactor RE!" A red robot appeared, with a large serpentine head and tail. Two extensions were to the sides, both with some claws. Beneath the main body was a pod with a bunch of missiles. (Lvl 3 1200/900).

"Spell Reactor, attack her face-down monster!" Greiger commanded. His monster fired two missiles that shot at her card, which revealed to be the red spiritual form of Aratama. (Lvl 4 800/1800).

* * *

 **G: 3400**

* * *

"Since Aratama was flipped up, it's effect activates, so I add a spirit monster from my deck to my hand!" Sarah said. "I choose Shinobird Crane!"

"Hmmph, I set a face-down and end my turn," Greiger said.

"Aratama returns to the hand during the end phase," Sarah said, her monster disappearing. "And now it's my turn! Draw!" She added.

* * *

 **Both: SC 3**

* * *

"I summon Shinobird Crane!" A birdwoman wearing white clothing, a pointed helm and armed with a large bow appeared. (Lvl 4 1500/1500).

"Now, Shinobird Crane, attack Spell Reactor RE with Silk Arrow!" Her monster fired an arrow that impacted on Spell Reactor's missile bank, exploding.

When the smoke faded, his monster was still standing, "How is that thing still flying?" Sarah asked, eyes narrowed.

"Because of my Fake Explosion trap! It makes my monsters indestructible by battle," Greiger said.

* * *

 **G: 3100**

* * *

"It also lets me summon Summon Reactor SK!" Greiger went on. His new monster was bigger, yellow, with two large propellers, and armed with several flak cannons. (Lvl 5 2000/1400).

 _Bit overpowered… he saved his monster, and got a new one!_ Sarah frowned, glancing back at the two aircraft following her around the track.

"I'll end my turn with Crane returning to my hand," She sighed.

"My turn!" Greiger said.

* * *

 **Both: SC 4**

* * *

"I activate the Speed Spell – Angel Baton! Since I have four speed counters, I can draw two cards, then discard one," Greiger said. He grinned, "Perfect, I summon Trap Reactor Y FI!"

Another flying machine, the smallest of those in play already, joined his fleet of aircraft, this one was dark green, with a cannon on the chest. (Lvl 4 800/1800).

"Now I activate the effect of Summon Reactor SK! By sending Summon Reactor SK, Trap Reactor Y FI and Spell Reactor RE to the grave, I can summon Flying Fortress SKYFIRE!" Greiger called out.

 _NOT GOOD!_ Sarah internally gulped, as a huge flying craft took the place of all three monsters, it had two propellers like SK did, the flak cannons of SK and Y FI, and Sarah could see the evident bomb bay door, probably housing all of RE's missiles turned into bombs. (Lvl 8 3000/2500).

"That's no monster! It's World War Four!" She had to voice her opinion.

"Maybe so, but now I activate SKYFIRE's effect! By discarding a card from my hand, I can blow away one card you have in play," Greiger said. "I target the face-down on the right."

A big bomb dropped on Sarah's card, and she had to focus on not falling off her runner. "The problem with running Spirit decks, there's nothing to protect your lifepoints during my turn! SKYFIRE! Attack!"

The massive machine edged closer, about to bomb _her_ now. "I don't think so! Activate trap card! Counter Gate!" A barrier appeared between her and the impending explosion. "It stops your attack and I can draw a card! And if it's a monster card that I can play, I summon it!"

"You may have halted my attack, but next turn will be a different story," Greiger said.

"I draw!" Sarah called, and smiled, "It's the monster card Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands! And when he is summoned, that means I get a ritual monster or spell added to my hand." Sarah said, adding the Speed Spell – Advanced Ritual Art. The monster she played was a dark green mutant with thousands of hands protruding from it's body. (Lvl 4 1400/1000).

"I set a card face-down and end my turn," Greiger finished.

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Sarah said.

* * *

 **Both: SC 5**

* * *

 _His monster has the power to blow up either a monster or a piece of set backrow, both of which deal an 800 chunk to me…_ Sarah observed. _And his backrow are probably battle traps… how to handle this…_

She looked at her hand, then checked her speed counters. "This could work…" She mumbled. "I summon Nikitama in attack position!" A green spiritual entity appeared, it looked exactly like Aratama, with two hollowed eyes and a wide mouth. (Lvl 4 800/1800).

"And it's days are numbered! SKYFIRE's effect is sending it straight to the graveyard, and slamming you with 800 damage!" Greiger grinned.

* * *

 **S: 3200**

* * *

Sarah grit her teeth, "Nikitama's effect, when it enters the field, I can make an additional normal summon, as long as the new monster is a spirit! I summon Shinobird Crane once more!" She said. _I need to stall as long as I can…_ She thought.

"I have five speed counters, this means I can activate the Speed Spell – Double Summon! This can let me summon again this turn!" She said. "Come out Inaba White Rabbit!" A small pink and white rabbit clutching on to a strange totem appeared. (Lvl 3 700/500).

"Since I summoned a spirit while Crane is out, I get to draw one card!" Sarah added. "Now, here's the reason why I brought this little guy out…" She paused. "White Rabbit! Attack Greiger directly!"

"What?!" Greiger seemed shocked, but the bunny sprang from it's perch, coming down with teeth out.

* * *

 **G: 2400**

* * *

"I'll set this face down, and end my turn," Sarah said, both Shinobird Crane and Inaba White Rabbit returning to her hand.

"My move then," Greiger said, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Both: SC: 6**

* * *

Greiger smiled, and went straight to work, "By discarding one card, I can destroy one of yours!" He smirked. "I target your Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"

A bomb was dropped on the mutant, and Sarah covered up from the turbulence. "Now, SKYFIRE, direct attack!" Greiger roared.

Sarah could do nothing to stop the second bomb from dropping, this time on her, and gave out a cry as three thousand points were deducted from her LP.

* * *

 **S: 1000 SC: 3**

* * *

"Remember duel fans, for every thousand damage a duellist takes, one speed counter is removed from their Speed World card," The MC told the crowd.

"I end my turn, make your final one Sarah," Greiger said, over taking the Black Spirit.

"Gladly, but it won't be my final turn!" Sarah said, drawing. "It will be _yours!_ "

* * *

 **S: SC 4  
G: SC 7**

* * *

"I'm at four speed counters, so I can play the Speed Spell – Angel Baton, this lets me draw two, as long as I ditch one," Sarah said, she smiled at what she pulled, discarding White Rabbit.

"Alright, time to take out the trash! I activate my face-down card Call of the Haunted, with it, I can bring back Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands from my grave!" Sarah said. Her handy monster returned to play. (Lvl 4 1400/1000).

"That's still a summon, so I'll have SKYFIRE destroy it and take another eight hundred from your lifepoints!" Greiger grinned.

The guns on SKYFIRE lit up, shooting large bullets into Manju, and sending him back to the graveyard.

* * *

 **S: 200**

* * *

"Darn…" Sarah muttered, "But Manju's effect lets me add a ritual monster to my hand, I choose Shinobaroness Peacock," She said.

"Now, I summon Shinobird Crane again!" Her bird woman appeared once again, preparing an arrow on her bow. (Lvl 4 1500/1500).

"Then, I'll play the Overboost speed spell, this increases my Speed counters by six until the end of my turn, where they are reduced to one," She went on.

* * *

 **S: SC 10**

* * *

"Now, I activate the Speed Spell – Advanced Ritual Art!" She called out. "By removing four of my speed counters, and sending normal monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I can summon a ritual monster!"

* * *

 **S: SC 6**

* * *

"I send Rabidragon from my deck to the grave!" She said, a card coming from her deck, and she put it in the graveyard.

"Wings of brilliance, spread now and show true beauty! Ritual Summon! Shine, Shinobaroness Peacock!" A woman appeared, wearing eastern style clothing, with long brown hair and a headdress, she spread her arms, showing her sleeves to have the same pattern as a peacock's feathers. In her hand was a battle fan. (Lvl 8 2500/3000).

"Since I summoned a spirit, Crane lets me draw one card," Sarah said. She needed to draw the right card to win. And she did.

"Baroness' effect! When she is successfully summoned, I designate up to three spells and traps you have in play, and shuffle them into your deck!" Sarah went on. "So say goodbye face-downs!"

Greiger growled as he complied to the effect, "And Baroness' second effect, if the first part is successful, I can summon one spirit from my deck, ignoring summoning conditions! So come forth Shinobird Pigeon!" A bird man appeared, wearing an orange Japanese-style shirt, magenta coloured pants, black boots, and wore a gold and green helmet, spectacles and armed with a quill and parchment. (Lvl 4 1000/1800).

"I then activate my other Speed Spell – Double Summon, and since I've already explained what it does, let's get straight to it! Appear, Genex Ally Birdman!" A smallish green robot with a yellow bird-like beak and with white wings appeared. (Lvl 3 1400/400).

"Genex Ally Birdman, tune now with Shinobird Pigeon!" The small robot leapt up, as did the scholar birdman, Birdman flexing his wings before turning into three green rings, which Shinobird Crane flew through, being reduced to four glowing stars.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A green star appeared on her hand, her eyes carrying a little green tint to them.

As for the monster she summoned, an alternating white and black dragon appeared, with blue armour on the chest, arms and head. It had four large wings of light blue crystals and a long tail that stretched out behind it. (Lvl 7 2500/2000).

"A mighty monster, but it still doesn't have the strength to defeat Flying Fortress SKYFIRE," Greiger pointed out.

"Not yet, but I now reveal my face-down! Activate Speed Spell – Silver Contrails! Now, by removing one speed counter, one WIND attribute monster gains a thousand attack points until the end phase! I choose Baroness!" (Lvl 8 3500/3000).

* * *

 **S: SC 5**

* * *

"Shinobaroness Peacock! Attack Flying Fortress SKYFIRE with Graceful Sky Wing!" Sarah commanded, her monster shooting forwards to slice through SKYFIRE's cockpit area, causing the massive machine to drop down and explode.

* * *

 **G: 1900**

* * *

"And Clear Wing will now bring it home! Go, Hell Dive Whirlwind Slasher!" Clear Wing flew up into the air, before beginning to spin, becoming a bright green tornado that came down, causing an explosion, that engulfed Greiger. When the smoke faded, he had screeched to a halt.

* * *

 **G: 0  
S: 200**

 **Winner: Sarah.**

* * *

Sarah pulled over, as Greiger fell off thanks to the simulated pain. "You ok big man?" She asked.

" _I'm_ fine, but it's not over," Greiger sighed. "I was hoping to do this differently, but if it needs to be like this… so be it."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Hmm?" She asked.

"I need to tell you something Sarah. My village was destroyed in a horrible fire, and all of it's inhabitants, including my younger siblings, have gone missing," Greiger said.

"Missing?" Sarah asked.

"The only reason I agreed to enter the Fortune Cup, was because Goodwin promised to help rebuild my village if I won," Greiger explained. "But I've learned the truth, he won't help rebuild it like he promised, how could he when it's not even there anymore!"

"What are you talking about man?" Sarah asked him.

Greiger pointed to the sphere in the middle of the arena, which showed a village in the hills somewhere. "Look! That was my village! Before Goodwin came along!" He spat out the name like a curse.

"I hacked into Goodwin's personal file before the duel, and I discovered it wasn't a 'natural disaster', Goodwin came along and decided to use our valley as a little testing ground. He tried to resurrect his precious Crimson Dragon, but he couldn't control the EnerD, it was too powerful! And then…" Greiger trailed off, letting the screen show the outcome.

A massive flash and an explosion of energy came from the valley, and when it faded, all that was left was a crater. A _huge_ one. Sarah gasped, _what the hell… that dragon from last week was responsible for this?_ She asked herself.

"My village is _gone!_ Everyone who lived there? All _gone!_ Vanished! Nowhere to be found," Greiger roared.

"Hold on… are you _certain_ that Goodwin did that?" Sarah asked.

"I saw the files myself, I'm certain about this Sarah," Greiger nodded, before turning his attention to the tower in the middle of the stadium. "And now Goodwin is going to answer for all his lies!"

With that, he mounted his duel runner, shooting past Sarah and around the corner.

"Hey! Greiger!" Sarah gasped.

"Now that the world knows what you did, it's time for you to pay!" Greiger yelled. "For my friends! My family! My HOME!" pressing a button on his runner, half of his back tires burst away, revealing massive spikes attached to the rims. "Your ivory tower is about to come tumbling down Goodwin!" He roared.

Giving an enraged bellow, he began to climb the track side, before shooting up into the air at one of the corners, heading straight for the tower!

"No you don't!" Sarah suddenly roared, the Black Spirit shooting around from the opposite direction, racing up the side and intercepting the larger duel runner mid-air.

"Sarah!" Greiger gasped. Sarah's front wheel slammed into one of Greiger's tire spikes, which broke free, heading for the tower window.

Sarah braced herself, as both runners came down in a crash on the back straight.

She glanced up at the tower, and hoped Goodwin hadn't been killed by that rogue spike.

Meanwhile, Greiger had recovered from the crash, and stormed towards Sarah, picking her up by her suit. "Sarah! How could you? I had him!" He asked.

"Look, I hate Goodwin too, trust me, I'm sure half the contestants here do, but if you kill him, how does that get the answers you seek?!" Sarah asked, not impressed with his actions, "And what if Goodwin wasn't behind your village's destruction? Anyone could have put something big and bad in that valley! You could have killed an innocent person, while the real culprit is still out there somewhere!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Greiger asked.

"Trust me, my sister, and Yusei to figure things out, we all have bones to pick with Goodwin, and we'll get your answers for you," Sarah said.

Greiger let her down, and dropped to his knees in sorrow and rage. "GOODWIN!" He roared in anguish.

Sarah put her arms around him, "It's ok, even sturdy men need to let out that pain once in a while," She smiled sadly.

His body shaking with silent sobs, Sarah glanced up at the tower, seeing Goodwin standing there, with his lackey by his side, and Atlas a few feet back. _See what you've made of a man? I swear, you will answer some questions, or else…_

Security then came, and took Greiger away. "People of Neo Domino City, it's always a terrible tragedy when a gifted duellist, like our very own Greiger, suffers a complete and emotional breakdown, following such an intense duel, but rest assured, he will get all the help he needs." Goodwin announced.

"Sarah," Greiger called out. "Promise me you'll take down Goodwin once and for all," he begged.

"I will," Sarah nodded.

* * *

 **Marcus: Man, that was close.**

 **Kione: You ok sis?**

 **Sarah: I'll live, but the Black Spirit is out of action until I repair it.**

 **Kione: I'll fix it, you focus on the next duels.**

 **Marcus: One more duel, and probably the most dangerous one.**

 **All: Next Time: Green Thumbs!**


	16. Chapter 16: Green Thumbs

**Time for another duel, and this one was hard! Akiza's duelling style is difficult to think about. From what I've found, she uses a burn/beatdown deck, resolving around bursts of damage, or rushing out her Black Rose Dragon, finding ways to resurrect it if it is destroyed.**

 **So, without further ado, I present Daiki vs Akiza!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Green Thumbs**

 **Title Song: Daughter of Flame - Audiopizza (Found on HDSounDI)**

* * *

Daiki glanced up at the screen, where his opponent's face was shown. _Aki… You need to break free from Sayer's lies… and if I have to cut loose to do it… I will_. He was sat at a table in the main lobby of Memorial Circuit, partially because he was getting some lunch, and partially so he could edit his deck without any chance of another competitor seeing what he was doing.

He had a binder on the left of the table, and his deck laid out, card by card, on the right. _Hm…. She'll use Black Garden, and probably combo it with her Rose Flame trap to burn me every time a Rose Token enters my field. Do I focus on protecting my own life points? Or counter-burn her as well?_

His mind was so focused, that he didn't notice the footsteps approaching. "Mr Izumi?" His eyes glanced up, and he saw Goodwin's aide, Lazar.

Eyes going back down, he changed some cards around, "What do you want?" He asked.

"So far, things are going swimmingly. We have detected two more Signers, Yusei and Miss Luna, and we have found all of the Star Guardians, Mr Cersy, his sister, Miss Radcliffe, her sister, and you. Director Goodwin has huge suspicions about Miss Izinski being a Signer, so it will be up to you to expose her power," Lazar said.

"I know, but I have my own reasons to duel Akiza, and it's not just because I have to as a member of this tournament," Daiki sighed, nodding about the state of his deck and gathering them all up into one even pile of cards. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to meditate before the duel gets underway."

"Of course Mr Izumi, good luck," Lazar bowed lightly, before walking away.

 _Annoying little cretin…_ Daiki thought, before beginning his meditative routine.

* * *

"Alright duel fans! Get ready for the next duel, and I hope you're all ready for it!" The MC called out.

"Daiki Izumi will now face off against the Black Rose, Miss Akiza Izinski!" He called out.

"Akiza," Daiki nodded, hoping she'd greet him.

"Traitor," That wasn't what he expected. _Sayer… you snake…_

"Bit harsh don't you think?" Daiki asked, trying to get her to explain her word.

"You betrayed Sayer, attacking him then fleeing from the Movement," She said, putting her deck in her red duel disk. "He wants you to come back by the way, so you can face punishment."

"Akiza… Aki… I haven't betrayed the movement, I just have bigger things to deal with right now!" Daiki said, putting his deck in his own duel disk.

"Alright, let's get this duel started?" MC asked the two.

The two duellists first had to determine the turn order. "Rock, paper, scissors!" Both called.

Daiki held out rock, but Akiza held an open hand, "I'll go first if you don't mind," She said frostily.

"Alright, I would let you go first anyway," Daiki nodded, both got in position, and activated their duel disks.

"LET'S DUEL!"

* * *

 **A: 4000  
D: 4000**

* * *

"I'll draw, and summon Wall of Ivy in defence mode!" A wall of thorny branches and ivy appeared, hueing blue in defence mode. (Lvl 2 300/1200).

"And I'll activate Black Garden!" She said, playing her field spell. Black thorny vines encased the two of them in a cage of some sorts. "Now, when one of us summons a monster, the other player gets a rose token," Akiza explained. "I'll end it with a face-down."

"Then it's my turn," Daiki said, drawing his card. "I summon Barrier Statue of the Drought in defence mode!" a brown statue appeared on his field (Lvl 4 1000/1000), and he repressed a smirk. "While this monster is in play, only EARTH attribute monsters can be special summoned."

Akiza's eyes widened, "That's right, Black Rose Dragon is FIRE attribute," Daiki smirked at her reaction.

"When your monster is summoned, it's attack and defence are halved, and I get a Rose Token," Akiza said. Barrier Statue was wrapped by thorns, and shrank. (500/500). Meanwhile, Akiza got a small budding rose. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"Meanwhile, I'll now set two face-downs and end my turn," He said.

"My turn," She said, taking her card. "I sacrifice Wall of Ivy to summon Rose Tentacles in attack mode!" Akiza said, her defence being replaced by a tall budding rose with thorny tendrils all over the place. (Lvl 6 2200/1200). Then it got covered by thorns as well (1100/600), and Daiki observed his own Rose Token appearing. (Lvl 2 800/800).

"Rose Tentacles, attack Barrier Statue now!" She called out. Her monster sent two tendrils with bulky rose buds that hadn't bloomed yet flying at Daiki's monster. Daiki covered up as his monster was reduced to fragments.

"Not bad Aki," He said.

"Stop _calling_ me that," Akiza commanded, her voice carrying a faint trace of venom. "Rose Tentacles gets to attack again, since you have a Rose Token. Go!" She ordered. Her monster lunged out, and slammed a vine against the Token monster.

* * *

 **D: 3700**

* * *

"Rose Tokens can't be destroyed by battle, so it'll stick around for now," Akiza said.

"Akiza… Sayer is _lying._ I never attacked him," Daiki said, shaking off the real damage she inflicted. "You know, while you get pampered, being his favourite, the rest of us were just soldiers! Following the commands of a man who wanted to take over the city, and then the world."

Akiza grit her teeth, "Sayer could never do that…" She said.

"Deny it all you want," Daiki said, understanding that she had finished her turn. "I promise you, he will use you too." He drew his card.

"Right, time to make an offensive. First, I'll reveal my trap, Rose Flame!" He said. "Look familiar?" He asked, seeing her face scowl. "This trap means that whenever a Plant monster is summoned to your field, you take 500 damage!" He explained.

"I summon Naturia Pumpkin!" A green pumpkin with a mellow face appeared, the top looked like it had been cut open, yellow goop inside visible to all. (Lvl 4 1400/800). Then Black Garden kicked in, (700/400). "And his effect, when I summon him while you control a monster, I can summon another Naturia monster from my hand!" Another rose appeared on Akiza's field. (Lvl 2 800/800).

* * *

 **A: 3500**

* * *

Akiza found herself getting licked by the fire that came from the trap, and stared back at Daiki. "You're using your power?"

"Of course. To break the Black Rose persona you have going on, I'm going to have to beat you at your own game!" Daiki said. He continued, "The tuner monster Naturia Butterfly should do the trick," He said, putting the card on his duel disk. A large beautiful butterfly appeared on his field. It had a magenta coloured body and shimmering pink wings and it's legs were green. (Lvl 3 500/1200), Black Garden then snared it too, (250/600). And another token to Akiza.

* * *

 **A: 3000**

* * *

"And now, I'm going to have Butterfly tune with Pumpkin!" Daiki said. As his monsters went through the summoning process, he began to chant.

"Ancient Spirits of the Forest and the Earth. Surround our world with nature and rise from the ground! Synchro Summon! Awaken from thy slumber! Naturia Landoise!" A massive rock tortoise appeared on the field, with a grassy hill and a tree on it's back. (Lvl 7 2350/1600). Black Garden worked its power again, and Landoise was wrapped in thorns, (1175/800). A forth token appeared on Akiza's side, filling her field.

* * *

 **A: 2500**

* * *

"Naturia Landoise, attack Rose Tentacles now. Nature's Wrath!" His massive monster rumbled, before stomping down, the shockwave slamming against her monster, and taking it out completely.

* * *

 **A: 2425**

* * *

Daiki observed that Akiza had a few burns, as well as being pushed back a little by his monster's attack. He then ended his turn.

"You'll regret making the decision to try and hurt me," Akiza said, drawing her card. "I activate my own Rose Flame trap, so now you'll take some damage as well, but I don't feel like taking much more, so I'll sacrifice Black Garden, as well as all Plant type monsters on the field, and summon a monster who's attack points are equal or less than the combined total of monsters destroyed. I'll bring back Wall of Ivy." Her wall of thorns and plants returned. (Lvl 3 300/1200).

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you just summoned another Plant monster," Daiki pointed out.

* * *

 **A: 1925**

* * *

"Then, I summon a girl after my own heart, Witch of the Black Rose!" A cute little girl wearing a black and white gothic dress with wide eyes and purple hair appeared, holding a small wand. (Lvl 4 1700/1200).

"Here's how her effect works. I take the top card of my deck, and if it isn't a monster card, my witch is destroyed," Akiza explained, before drawing. "It's the monster card Rose Fairy, so my Witch of the Black Rose gets to stay, and because Rose Fairy was added to my hand by an effect, it gets to be summoned as well."

* * *

 **A: 1425**

* * *

"Now to finish this little game of giving me my own medicine! I now tune Witch of the Black Rose to Wall of Ivy!"

 _Uh oh…_ Daiki thought. _Here it comes…_

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza chanted as her ace monster appeared on scene. It had red rose petals covering it's body, over a black, thorny underskin, two yellow reptilian eyes stared at Daiki and his field. (Lvl 7 2400/1800).

"Black Rose Dragon's effect activates, by removing Rose Tentacles in my graveyard from play, your Naturia Landoise's attack points are reduced to zero!" Akiza said. Daiki really wished he had a spell card in his hand right now, but he didn't.

Naturia Landoise buckled under the strain of her Dragon's effect, before collapsing. "Landoise!" Daiki called out to his monster.

"Now attack with Black Rose Gale!" A blast of black fire spouted from the red and black dragon's mouth, ripping through Daiki's monster.

Daiki himself was blown off his feet by the blast, and grunted as black flames spewed over him. "That all you got?" He asked, getting back up. "I've faced worse attacks from a kitten."

* * *

 **D: 1300**

* * *

"I'll leave it with that," Akiza said.

"Then I'm up," Daiki said, drawing his card. _So… Akiza… let's see if I can get a reaction from you, regarding this!_ "I play Call of the Haunted! This means I can bring back a monster from my graveyard, like Naturia Landoise!" His mighty titan appeared once more. (Lvl 7 2350/1600).

"Fifty points short. If you could tie with Black Rose Dragon, all you would need is another monster," Akiza noted.

"No need, I summon Naturia Stinkbug!" He said, a green insect with a yellow neck and pink feelers on the antennae appeared, flapping its big wings. (Lvl 3 200/500).

"Now, level 3 Naturia Stinkbug, tune now with Level 7 Naturia Landoise!" He said, the mark on his hand lighting up again.

"King of the jungle, roar now and let everyone know who rules the lands! Synchro Summon! Prowl on, Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!" He called, his mighty ace monster appearing on the field. (Lvl 10 3100/1900). The massive lion roared defiantly at Black Rose Dragon, as if they were greeting each other, that, or they were challenging each other. Akiza grunted as a red glow appeared on her right arm. Daiki noticed.

 _And that, would be game._ He thought. "Leo, attack Black Rose Dragon with Howl of the Forest!" He commanded of his beast, then he noticed her about to make a counter, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Leo can't be target by card effects, except during my main phase 2!" Giving a mighty roar, the shockwave pulsed towards Akiza's dragon, attempting to shatter the monster, and knocked her onto her back. She quickly reacted though.

"By discarding Hedge Guard from my hand, Black Rose Dragon is not destroyed by battle, but it's attack and defence is halved after the battle until the end phase!" She said. (BRD 1200/900).

* * *

 **A: 750**

* * *

"I set a card face-down, and -!"

"I play my face-down card!" Akiza quickly interjected, "Illusion Destruction! This trap lets me target a card on the field and flip it face-down, so your big kitty will be flipped over!" She said. Daiki watched his ace disappear, as a plain face-down card took it's place.

"Now it's my turn, and I summon Twilight Rose Knight!" A young woman wearing black armour with red details, white skin and blue hair appeared, a black crown with red details on her head, and holding a broadsword. A white cloak was flowing behind her. (Lvl 4 1000/1000). "And her effect lets me summon another plant type monster from my hand, as long as it's level four or below, and I choose Dark Verger!" A sapling with two big eyes on the leaves appeared. (Lvl 2 0/1000).

"Dark Verger is a plant type monster, so you take another 500 damage from my Rose Flame trap card!" Daiki called out.

* * *

 **A: 250**

* * *

"Twilight Rose Knight, tune with Dark Verger!" She said.

"Another Synchro monster?!" Daiki asked.

"Hunter of splendid thorns hidden in the sacred forest, with your whip of punishment in hand, come forth now! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Splendid Rose!" A blonde woman wearing a tight green body suit, with red rose-like cuffs at her ankles appeared. Two vine-like whips were armed in her hands. (Lvl 6 2200/2000).

"She's a plant monster too! So you lose!" Daiki called out, his trap powering up again.

"Not this time, I play Nature's Reflection! Now, any effect damage I take comes out of your life points instead!" Akiza said, a reflective stone appearing and bouncing the flames back at Daiki.

* * *

 **D: 800**

* * *

"Splendid Rose, attack the face-down Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!" She commanded. Her monster leapt up, before going into a crazy spin, feet aiming first and ripping through the defending Leo, which shattered.

"And now, Black Rose Dragon, end this duel! Attack him directly!" She called out.

Her dragon roared, before releasing a flurry of rose petals, which were razor sharp. "Akiza! You'll hurt the spectators!" Daiki gasped.

"So what? They called me a witch, they get what happens to them," The woman said coldly.

Noticing several children on the row directly behind him, Daiki knew he had to act. "No!" He pushed on his own psychic power, and forced the rose petals to come straight towards him, and trapping himself in a tornado of the sharp floral attack.

He yelled in pain, but endured, glancing back to see the children gaze at him with frightened but amazed looks in their eyes. Daiki smiled, knowing they'd be safe, and collapsed, the pain getting to him.

* * *

 **D: 0  
A: 250**

 **Winner: Akiza**

* * *

"It looks like Mr Izumi has taken some serious damage! Can the medical teams please respond to the field!" The MC called out.

As several medics rushed out to tend to Daiki, Akiza paused, _he used his power to protect those behind him…_ She mused and noticed several children. _Maybe… I can learn to control this power better…_ She thought.

 _Why would he actively turn against Sayer?_ She wondered, as she was lowered back into the corridors below. _I need to think this through, without any interference._

She noticed a maroon haired man approaching, wearing a grey trenchcoat over a black shirt with a white tie, he also wore black pants and boots. "That was a fine match," He said. "Daiki will think twice about betraying us again."

"Sorry Sayer… I have a lot on my mind," Akiza said, walking past him. She paused when one of his hands went on her shoulder.

"Let me know if anything is troubling you," He told her.

"S-sure, but I need time to think," She said, and walked away, leaving Sayer to watch her leave.

 _Damn you Izumi!_ Sayer growled quietly. _You planted seeds of doubt in Akiza… and now I have to make her see that you're lying._ He then chuckled slightly at the plant pun he had just made. _Not intended._ He thought, before walking away.

Watching the exchange from another corridor was Yusei, and his eyes narrowed. _Daiki started to get to her… I'm going to have to finish the job._

* * *

 **Emma: Really? A plant pun to finish the chapter?**

 **Marcus: Couldn't help it, sorry!**

 **Sarah: So, Semi-finals now.**

 **Marcus: Indeed, both in this story and in the World Cup.**

 **Emma: And England is doing amazingly well!**

 **All: Next time: A Bribe or a Threat!**


	17. Chapter 17: A Bribe or a Threat

**So, I'm terribly sorry for my inactive behaviour as of late. Work is busy, and I'm earning, which is all I needed!  
This chapter will bring some twists and thrills, and you won't expect the outcome, I bet you won't.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: A Bribe or a Threat**

 **Title Song: M'envoler vers toi by Phil Rey Gibbons (Youtube)**

* * *

Marcus and Sarah couldn't believe how brutal that last duel had been, "Wow… now that was a real hot duel!" Marcus muttered.

"I hope Daiki isn't too badly hurt," Sarah admitted. She then saw Yusei walk back in, having gone for a walk.

"I checked in with the docs on my way back. The damage was just cuts and second-degree burns, he'll live," Yusei said.

"And now, it's both of you, me, and Akiza," Marcus said.

"No matter what, no hard feelings?" Yusei asked.

"Hey, I never expected to get this far," Marcus chuckled. "Look at me, I've faced a direct descendant of Seto Kaiba, an old rival of mine, and my next foe is one of you two or our psychic friend."

"Hold on, psychic?" Asked Sarah.

"It's not the first time I've seen monsters do more damage than a few stings," Marcus said. "My sister is in that wheelchair because of such a power."

"Huh… interesting…" Sarah muttered. "Tell me again, why are you involved in this?"

"Because Goodwin will fund prosthetic legs for Emma, and provide better accommodations," Marcus told her.

"And for me, Goodwin's lackeys have hidden my friends somewhere in the Satellite, and if I didn't duel, they would take the fall for me getting back my runner," Yusei said.

"It's similar to my own reason, Goodwin said if me and Kione didn't duel, both us, and Mako would be off to the Facility," Sarah said. "And let's not forget Greiger's tale."

"Yeah… promising to rebuild his village, but being the one to vaporize it in the first place," Marcus said. "What is this Crimson Dragon?"

"I have a friend who could explain that much better," Yusei said. "Until then, may the best duellist win." He held out his hand.

Marcus and Sarah nodded, and both added their hands, before the three shook.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Professional and amateur alike! We are now heading into the semi-finals!" The MC called out. "We have four duellists left!"

The screen behind him lit up. "Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo!" Yusei's portrait came up. "The Mistress of Spirits, Sarah Radcliffe!" Said blonde's photo took his place. "Miss Black Rose, Akiza Izinski!" The redhaired woman's photo entered the image. "And the ace of Duel Academy, Marcus Cersy!"

"Now, the first match-up will be…" Two of those portraits lit up. "Akiza Izinski against Yusei Fudo!" MC called out.

* * *

Yusei fought bravely against Akiza, resorting to Stardust Dragon and it's powerful effect to negate destruction effects. Part-way through the duel, Akiza put on her mask, her braid falling out and the wind whipped up fast, razor-sharp rose petals flying around the stadium in a flurry.

In the end however, Yusei got through to Akiza, and thanks to his Stardust Dragon, he would also be getting through to the final match.

Against either Marcus or Sarah.

* * *

"Alright duel fans! The second semi-final is about to begin! On my left is Sarah Radcliffe, the Spirit duellist, who up to this point, has only turbo-duelled at the Fortune Cup, so let's see how she performs when she doesn't have to worry about her speed!" Sarah rose from below in a cloud of smoke.

"And on my right is Marcus Cersy, the master of Dragons, will his majestic majesty trample Sarah's tricky plays? Or will Sarah blow him away? Don't blink, for the duel is about to begin!"

"Alright Sarah, no hard feelings right?" Marcus said, putting his deck in his duel disk.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sarah smiled. Her duel disk looked like the console on her duel runner, and it was. The duel field always detaches, forming a duel disk of black colouration, with a purple core in the middle. The monster zones looked like they had come from an old Battle City duel disk, while the area that holds the deck, graveyard and extra deck was that of an old Duel Academy issue duel disk.

"Alright, LET'S DUEL!" They both called out.

* * *

 **M: 4000  
S: 4000**

* * *

Marcus won the rock/paper/scissors, and elected to go first, "Alright Sarah, let's go!" He drew, and looked over his hand. "Alright, I'll start with summoning Keeper of the Shrine in defence mode." He said.

The dragon he summoned was a pale-red scaled dragon with a white beard, metal bracers on its wrists, blue anklets and red and white garments around its upper arms, torso and waistline. Two smallish wings were on its back.

Keeper of the Shrine – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 4 – (0/2100).

"With that, I'll set these and end my turn," He said. Two face-down cards appeared at his feet.

"2100 Defence points? Tough to beat… I draw!" Sarah said. "I'll play this first, Shinobird Powerspot!" She said, a spell appearing facing Marcus. "This spell gives my Spirits 500 attack and defence points, and whenever a WIND attribute monster returns to my hand, I can add a ritual spell or spirit monster to my hand."

"Time to summon Shinobird Crane in attack mode!" She said, her birdwoman appearing, bow in hand.

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1500/1500).

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (2000/2000).

"Next, I activate the Double Summon Spell, and summon Shinobird Pigeon in attack mode!" She said.

A birdman in an eastern orange shirt with a black , red pants and wearing a gold and green pointed hat, a pair of spectacles were on his eyes, and he was armed with a quill and a book, two white wings were on his back.

Shinobird Pigeon – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1000/1800).

Shinobird Pigeon – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1500/2300).

"Crane's effect activates, and I can draw a card, I then activate Pigeon's effect, returing a Spirit monster on my field to my hand, so come back Pigeon," Sarah said.

"Powerspot activated since a WIND monster came back to the hand. I add Shinobaron Peacock to the hand."

"Now I play Shinobird's Calling! It's a ritual spell, and it allows me to summon Shinobaron or Shinobaroness Peacock to the field by sending monsters who's levels equal or exceed eight! I send Pigeon in my hand and Crane on the field to the grave!"

"Wings of brilliance, spread now and show true power! Ritual Summon! Divinity descends! Shinobaron Peacock!" Sarah chanted, a human wearing ancient Japanese style clothing descended from above, with a small crown on his head, a white and blue kimono with the pattern of a peacock's feathers all over, a black belt across his chest, golden sleeves and a sword in his hand.

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3000/2500).

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3500/3000).

"Baron's effect, I return your Keeper to your hand and can then summon a spirit from my hand," Marcus growled as his monster disappeared, returning to his hand in card form.

"And I summon a second Shinobird Crane!" Sarah said.

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1500/1500).

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (2000/2000).

"Sorry Marcus, but I told you I wouldn't hold back! Attack him my two monsters!" Sarah said.

"I activate my face-down! Negate Attack, it stops your attacks and ends the battle phase!" Marcus said.

"Alright, I end my turn, and Baron return to the hand. Baron's effect summons two Shinobird Tokens, which I'll put in defence mode!" Sarah said, her monster slitting into two pieces. These fell to the ground before rising as two white feathered birds, each with three tail feathers and two wings with blue markings on them.

Shinobird Token – WIND/Token – Lvl 4 – (1500/1500) x2.

"My turn," Marcus said, "Again, I'll summon the Keeper of the Shrine in defence mode!"

Keeper of the Shrine – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 4 – (0/2100).

"Then I'll end my turn," He said.

"What are you planning and why does it require that dragon?" Sarah asked, drawing her card. "Damn, I've got nothing else but this, a face-down, your move."

"My turn, and now I can release Keeper of the Shrine to advance summon Rabidragon!" Marcus said.

His monster was a snowball-shaped, rabbit-ear-sporting mutant dragon. The body looked like a snowball, snow travelled up the spine of the neck, along with red spikes to the head, which was covered in snow. The wings and big feet were coated in snow, in fact, the dragon was either snow covered, or had lime green scales.

Rabidragon – LIGHT/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (2950/2900).

"Hang on, Rabidragon is a level 8! Where is the other tribute?" Sarah gave her protest.

"Nope, Keeper of the Shrine counts as two tributes when it comes to a Dragon type monster!" Marcus told her. "Now I'll have Rabidragon attack one of your Shinobird Tokens, Blizzard Howl!" He called out.

Sarah grunted, knowing if she was to summon her ritual monster, she'd have to get rid of her special summoned Crane.

"I'll set this and end my turn," Marcus said, happy with his turn.

Sarah pulled her top card from her deck, "I can get past that, I'll activate Advanced Ritual Art!" She said. "You know what that means! I send Cosmo Queen from my deck to the graveyard! Ritual Summon! Divinity descends! Shinobaron Peacock!" Sarah chanted.

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3000/2500).

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3500/3000).

"Baron's effect, Rabidragon to the hand!" She said.

"Halt, I'll play a quick play spell, Forbidden Chalice!" Marcus said. "It'll raise your Shinobaron's attack by 400 points, but he won't return Rabidragon to my hand anymore, as this negates your Peacock's effect until the end of this turn."

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3900/3000).

"Huh… I still get to draw for the summon of a Spirit monster thanks to Crane," Sarah said. "Guess I'll put these extra points you gave me to work, Shinobaron Peacock, attack Rabidragon with Espirit Sword!" She commanded.

* * *

 **M: 3150  
S: 4000**

* * *

Marcus lowered his arms after the assault. "Well played." He muttered.

"Marcus has the first damage! What will he do? Can he do anything to turn this duel around and defeat Sarah's tricky Spirits?!" The MC yelled into the microphone.

"Well first, when a dragon monster is destroyed while Keeper of the Shrine is in my grave, I can summon him from the graveyard," Marcus said, his familiar dragon reappearing.

Keeper of the Shrine – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 4 – (0/2100).

"Right, done?" Marcus asked the spirit duellist, who couldn't do much more.

"Well, since Baron's effect activates in the end phase of the turn he's summoned, I guess he's sticking around for the foreseeable future," Sarah sighed, "Done."

Shinobaron Peacock – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 8 – (3500/3000).

Marcus drew in silence. "I'll set this, then end." He placed one card in his monster zones.

Sarah glanced at the face-down, then at her hand, "Hm… Ok… do or die time. I'll summon Shinobird Crow in attack mode!" This new monster was a bird man wearing a blue ninja outfit, with a cloak made of bird feathers. Two blue wings were on his back, and in his hand was a sharp long dagger.

Shinobird Crow – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (0/0).

Shinobird Crow – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (500/500).

"No attack points? No problem. Next is a familiar spell, Double Summon," Sarah said. "I'll summon Shinobird Pigeon as well!"

Shinobird Pigeon – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1000/1800).

Shinobird Pigeon – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1500/2300).

"Now I return Pigeon to the hand, which also allows me to add a Shinobaroness to the hand, but more importantly, it means I can summon Genex Ally Birdman to the field!"

Her little green robot with the yellow beak and white wings appeared.

Genex Ally Birdman – DARK/Machine/Tuner – Lvl 3 – (1400/400).

Kione was first to notice her field layout. "Damn! She's going for gold!" She cheered with delight.

"Now, I tune Birdman with Crow!" Sarah called out.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" She called out, her hand gaining a green glow as she chanted.

Her mighty alternating white and black dragon appeared, with blue armour on the chest, arms and head. It had four large wings of light blue crystals and a long tail that stretched out behind it.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 7 – (2500/2000).

"Nice attempt of a Dragon," Marcus said, "I applaud you for the card, so, what next?" He asked.

"Oh that's right!" Sarah nodded. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Keeper of the Shrine with Hell Dive Whirlwind Slasher!" She commanded. Her dragon gave a cry, before flying up, then descending quickly, falling into a spin as it shot down, blasting straight through Marcus' defence. "And Crane, take aim at that face-down!"

The card flipped up, showing to be Galaxy Serpent.

Galaxy Serpent – LIGHT/Dragon – Level 2 – (1000/0)

"I knew you would target Keeper first," Marcus said. "Now, since Galaxy Serpent was destroyed while Keeper is in the grave, Keeper returns to the field, and since Galaxy Serpent is a normal monster, I can return a normal monster to the hand." Marcus pulled Galaxy Serpent back into his hand.

"My turn," Marcus said, drawing. "I can now begin to end this duel on my terms. Are you ready?" He asked. "I'll begin by setting one and ending my turn."

"What are you up to?" Sarah asked. "No matter, I'll have Crane break through!" She called.

This time, the face-down monster was Troop Dragon. "When Troop Dragon is destroyed, I can summon another in defence mode."

Troop Dragon – EARTH/Dragon – Lvl 2 – (700/800)

"And I'll keep breaking them until there are none left!" Sarah ordered Clear Wing to destroy the monster.

"And another one takes it's place," Marcus said calmly, such as he said happening.

Troop Dragon – EARTH/Dragon – Lvl 2 – (700/800)

"My turn," Marcus said. _My hand is looking good,_ he thought. _One more card to break through._ He set a monster in defence as well as a face-down back row card.

"Ok, that's it! I summon another Shinobird Crane to the field, allowing me to draw again for the other Crane's effect," Sarah said.

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (1500/1500).

Shinobird Crane – WIND/Winged Beast/Spirit – Lvl 4 – (2000/2000).

"Now, I play a trap, Taunt! This turn, I select a monster, and you have to battle it with your monsters until it's destroyed!" Marcus called in.

"Tsk… Clear Wing, please break Keeper of the Shrine until it doesn't move," Sarah said, her dragon stomping on Marcus' guard. "And Cranes, both of you attack! One go for the face-down!"

"Doesn't this seem familiar?" Marcus asked, Galaxy Serpent being destroyed again. "And so, Keeper continues to keep my field safe," He said, Galaxy Serpent returning to his hand as the defending dragon took to the field once more.

Keeper of the Shrine – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 4 – (0/2100).

"Oh come on!" Sarah whined. "I set this and end my turn, and Crane returns to my hand, activating Powerspot and giving me a new Baron Peacock."

Marcus frowned, "It's time to end this! I banish Rabidragon from my graveyard to summon Black Dragon Collapserpent!" He began.

The black dragon with orange wings appeared, roaring.

Black Dragon Collapserpent – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 4 – (1800/1700).

"I now banish Black Dragon to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Marcus called out.

His field was suddenly dwarfed by the appearance of the giant armoured dragon, it's red eyes flashing before rearing back and roaring.

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 10 – (2800/2800).

"Red-Eyes' effect allows me to summon one dragon monster from my hand or graveyard, I summon this from my hand!" He called out, "Rabidragon number 2!" He called, summoning the familiar snowball dragon.

Rabidragon – LIGHT/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (2950/2900).

"What do you think is going to happen next?" He asked Sarah. "Let me avoid all guesses and get to the point, I summon Delta Flyer in attack mode!" Marcus called out. His play caused a yellow and blue dragon with two wings to appear.

Delta Flyer – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 3 – (1500/900)

Marcus took a deep breath, then his eyes hardened. "My turn to show you my _true_ ace!" He said. "Level 3 Delta Flyer, tune now with level 8 Rabidragon!" He commanded.

"The universe will tremble in fear before the death of the cosmos! Extinguish the stars with your insatiable hunger!" Marcus yelled, his hand glowing gold, as well as his eyes. "SYNCHRO SUMMON! Devour the sun! STAR EATER!"

A massive serpentine dragon with red and black skin descended from some clouds, with a wingspan that was the width of two massive airbuses. It's yellow reptilian eyes took a moment to glance around, before settling on Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and it's mistress.

Star Eater – LIGHT/Dragon – Lvl 11 – (3200/2800)

Both duellists suddenly winced. Marcus held up his hand, gazing at the yellow glowing star, and his eyes then spotted Sarah's hand, where a green star was glowing. _Approach her later about that,_ He noted.

"Good luck even touching him this turn! When he's summoned, he is unaffected by your effects, and when he battles, he's immune to your traps, spells and monster effects!" Marcus told her.

"Now, Star Eater, attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with Breath of the Devoured Sun!" His dragon coiled a few times, before letting out a laser of black light, which washed away Clear Wing with ease.

* * *

 **M: 3150  
S: 3300**

* * *

"Red-Eyes, rip apart that Shinobird Crane! Black Iron Claws!" Marcus called out.

Sarah grunted as her other defence was destroyed.

* * *

 **M: 3150  
S: 2500**

* * *

Marcus smiled, "I'll set this card face-down and end my turn." His last card was on the back row.

Sarah stared up at the massive dragon before her, and then down at her hands.

She sighed, and looked at Marcus. She then glanced at her hand again. "I draw!" She called out, hopeful.

Her eyes widened when she saw her card. _Could I beat that goliath?_ She asked herself. _I don't know… could it work?_

She sighed again. No. _I won't risk it, and possibly coming up short._ Her hand moved on it's own, and she was about to surrender when she heard someone speak out.

"Miss Radcliffe," She paused, hearing Marcus speak. "I understand if things don't seem to be going your way, but that doesn't give you the reason to give up!" Marcus said. He put a fist over his heart. "The duel is not over! Not until the last card is played!" He told her.

Sarah's eyes widened, and she looked at her hand once more. _I. CAN. DO. THIS!_

She smiled, and played the card that she just drew. "I activate Stardust Shimmer!" She announced. "This card lets me banish one tuner and one or more non-tuners from my graveyard to revive a Synchro Dragon type monster that is sleeping in the graveyard!" She said, the same monsters she originally used emerging from her graveyard. "I remove the Level Three Birdman and Level Four Crow from the game," pocketing the cards, she then reached for the grave, where another card emerged.

"Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" She called out, the dragon reappearing in a shower of stardust.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 7 – (2500/2000)

 _Not bad,_ Marcus thought. _What is she going to pull next?_

His answer came when Sarah slapped down a card. "Now I summon Mach Synchron in attack mode!" She called out. The new monster to appear was a small robot with a face within a pair of sleek wings. Where turbines usually would be on a plane, two arms dropped down to small hands. Where the landing gear would drop on a plane, a pair of stubby legs were instead.

Mach Synchron – WIND/Machine/Tuner – Lvl 1 – (0/0)

"A new tuner huh?" Marcus muttered.

"Level 1 Mach Synchron, tune with Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Sarah called out. "Wondrous and beautiful wings, even more radiant than before! Strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Materialise! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The new creature didn't look that much different than Clear Wing, with shimmering wings of blue crystals and white scales that gleamed with light. It was bigger than it's predecessor as well, with a bulkier main body and arms, as well as a thicker tail.

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (3000/2500)

Marcus had to admit, he was impressed at the aesthetics of this beast. "A mighty monster, and what, pray tell, can it do?" He asked, weary.

"How about this?! When Crystal Wing engages a level 5 or higher monster in combat, it gains the attack power of that monster during the fight! Crystal Wing, attack Marcus' Star Eater! Shooting Sonic Hell Dive!" Her monster took a narrow look at Star Eater, before the wings on it's body folded up after one flap, turning the dragon into a sleek, crystalline bullet.

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon – Wind/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (6300/2500)

Marcus smiled, "An admirable duel. Thank you for showing me how far you are willing to go." His eyes were shut as her dragon shot upwards.

"And I thank you for such an amazing duel. Trust me. I plan on giving either Yusei or Akiza a fight for their lives," Sarah smiled also.

"Oh. I'm sorry… but I meant that I had this planned from the start," He said, and pressed a button. "Ring of Destruction."

 _Everyone_ in the stadium gasped.

"But that would mean…!" Emma was shocked.

"That neither will win!" Kione whimpered.

"Mutually assured destruction!" Tanner finished.

A ring of grenades manifested around Star Eater's neck. "Sorry Star Eater… we'll get a true battle against her another day," Marcus told his biggest monster. "Ring of Destruction's effect targets one monster on the field, and then it's destroyed, and we take damage equal to it's attack points. Star Eater has 3300. Enough to end this."

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Because if I let you beat me, it wouldn't feel right. But if I beat you, it would leave a sour taste in my mouth, this is the best outcome. We both did our best. Now, let's leave Jack to Yusei," Marcus smiled.

"You are weird, you know that?" Sarah asked, as the grenades exploded.

* * *

 **M: 0  
S: 0  
Result: TIE**

 **Marcus: Now, I know what you're thinking, Ring of Destruction needs to target an opponent's monster which is less or equal to the opponent's LP. See, the version of this card I am using is the second errata version of the card. If you're confused, look it up on the YGO Wiki.**

 **Emma: Yup, big boom used to make MADs all the time.**

 **Sarah: So. All Signers and Stars have been identified, all bar one mark of the dragon.**

 **Daiki: Something makes me think we won't be seeing it for a while yet.**

 **Marcus: Too right, see you in Chapter 18!**

 **All: Next Time: Regicide!**


	18. Chapter 18: Regicide

**Ok... First off, I want to apologise. Work is hard, and it cuts away at potential writing time, so I can't be pumping out chapters as fast as I used to.**

 **This chapter is going to be a little on the boring side, but it's key plot stuff so it's got to go in. I tried to mix up the dialogue, but that's difficult to do in a card game.**

 **Either way, please enjoy this chapter, and I promise to try and get another out before the end of February.**

 **I do not own anything from YuGiOh, only my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Regicide**

 **Title Song: Hyperdrive (5Ds official OP)**

* * *

Marcus sighed, somehow, he didn't feel bad about losing. Yes he didn't win, but he didn't care.

He and Sarah were sat in the lobby, having just returned from their match. "What now? We both lost, what will that mean?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know," Marcus said. "Maybe it's time to go get some answers from Goodwin."

The two gave a nod, and headed down the corridors.

* * *

"Um… are those guys meant to be asleep?" Asked Sarah as the two approached Goodwin's tower elevator.

"Not really, something tells me that someone else is after the same answers that we are," Marcus said. The two took up the elevator, and entered at a really juicy part of a conversation.

Glancing down over the balcony, the two spotted Goodwin, his minion, Jack, a blue haired young woman, and Yusei.

"I'm not duelling Jack until you tell me why you've done this," Yusei was saying.

"Huh. Are you dense Yusei?" Jack was the next to speak, before he yanked off his glove. "It's because of this!" On Jack's right arm, there was a crimson red pattern, in the shape of a pair of wings. "This mark!"

Yusei gasped and Marcus and Sarah glanced at each other, "So I _wasn't_ seeing things before," The finalist spoke up.

"He wants the Crimson Dragon's power, so he's been trying to gather up those with it's mark. He got me here by lying to me, buttering me up and manipulating me," Jack explained.

"Oh come on, you're making me sound so devious," Goodwin chuckled. "Jack, you wanted to be the turbo duel champion."

Jack didn't drop the ball, "Yeah, but I wanted to _earn_ that title," He said, glaring at Goodwin. "At this point, I'm starting to think that you've been rigging everything. I think your little plan involves setting me up as bait for Yusei."

Yusei just grunted.

"Goodwin knew you'd come after me if I did exactly as he asked me to, isn't that right Director?" He asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, I didn't even know about Yusei until that night you duelled him in the arena," Goodwin shrugged it off.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe this all up as one big coincidence?" Jack asked. "You needed to verify that Yusei had a mark, so you needed him and I to duel with passion, so you created a situation in which the stakes were as high as possible."

He then recounted on how he slowly got roped into Goodwin's plans through Lazar, who told him to take Yusei's runner and Stardust Dragon and take the pipeline between Neo Domino City and the Satellite. How he set up the situation where Yusei would abandon both to save one of his good friends.

"Goodwin could never have made you the same offer, because you never would have left your friends behind, not for fame and fortune anyway." Jack said. "I, on the other hand, walked right into it, and by tricking me into taking your card, and that gave you a reason to come after me," Jack now put his glove back on. "And I think that brings us up to speed."

Marcus leaned against the railing, "And here I thought that Jack Atlas was legit." He muttered.

This caught everyone's attention. "Marcus Cersy," Lazar muttered, his eyes shifted to Sarah, "And Sarah Radcliffe."

"Don't even bother throwing me in the Facility, what I have learned here will cause mobs to come for you Goodwin," Sarah frowned.

"Jack Atlas, I have a challenge for the 'Master of Faster'. Remove all the stakes between yourself and Yusei. That means that Yusei keeps Stardust, win or lose, and his friends are let go," Marcus said.

"He's right about Yusei's friends. Let them go, he's here, he doesn't need to be coerced anymore," Jack demanded. "And Stardust is the wager here. An unspoken ante rule if you will."

"If that's the case, he should get Red Dragon Archfiend if he wins then," Marcus pointed out. "And I doubt that Jack Atlas would ever win another duel if his ace monster, his very soul, got anted over to another duellist."

"Fine. We duel for one reason then," Jack looked at Yusei. "It's time we tracked down the fifth Signer. So far, we have four. You, me, that little girl and Akiza."

"That's right… a friend of mine said there are five Signers," Yusei muttered, pulling the glove off his arm and revealing a tail tip.

Marcus stared down at his hand, "There are also five more who have been sought out this competition," His eyes widened, as Daiki hobbled in with a crutch. "The Star Guardians. Five gifted individuals with the power to help control the Crimson Dragon, as well as another legend that is shrouded in myth to even me."

Marcus pulled out his note book, "So. That would be me, Emma, Sarah, Kione, and you." He said.

Daiki looked up in surprise. "Indeed. I noticed the marks on your hands during the duel you had, and throughout the tournament, I spotted your sisters also sporting marks."

"So, the five guardians have been gathered, and four of the five signers also. Now, we need to find that last mark. The head." Goodwin finished.

Yusei pulled up to starting grid, "There he is," Luna pointed out.

"I wonder if Goodwin told him what he needed to know," Tanner muttered.

"He did, and now it's a duel between rivals," Marcus muttered, he had joined his friends in the crowd, as Sarah joined her sister in the row in front.

Jack then arrived, and both took their marks.

"Alright, it's time to activate the Speed World Field Spell!" The MC called out.

Both duellists pressed a button on their runners, the card in the system activating it's unique magic.

"This is the moment we've been waiting for! Will Jack Atlas continue to reign as the King of Turbo Duels? Or will he be dethroned by Satellite's Shooting Star?" MC asked the question on everyone's mind.

The green light shone, and both were off.

"DUEL!" They both called out.

* * *

 **Y: 4000 SC: 1  
J: 4000 SC: 1**

* * *

The duel went strong with both players making big plays. Jack got the first damage thanks to Twin Sword Maurader's double attack and piercing effect, reducing Yusei's points.

* * *

 **Y: 2600 SC: 2  
J: 4000 SC: 2**

* * *

Yusei got to work, wasting no time in summoning Junk Warrior and beating down Twin Sword Maurader, then following up with Synchro Blast, a trap that blasted away 500 points from Jack whenever Yusei attacked with a Synchro monster.

* * *

 **Y: 2600 SC: 2  
J: 2800 SC: 2**

* * *

Jack's next turn was the big one though, summoning Dark Tinker, then reviving Twin Sword with Powerful Rebirth, boosting it's level by one. "The Ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to it's creation-shaking power!" Jack chanted, with Emma mouthing him word for word. "Synchro Summon! My Very Soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!"

Red Dragon Archfiend – DARK/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (3000/2500)

A flaming fist then reduced Junk Warrior to shards, and Yusei took a hit.

* * *

 **Y: 1900 SC: 3  
J: 2800 SC: 3**

* * *

Marcus was the first to glance up and see the dark purple clouds. "Hey, old man, you know anything about the Crimson Dragon and what tell tale signs are that it's coming?" He asked.

"Huh?" Yanagi looked up as well, "Oh dear… The Crimson Dragon is coming!" He whimpered.

"Whoa. Look at Yusei go!" Emma pointed down.

Yusei had just started his turn, rising both players to four SCs. Yusei had just played Descending Lost Star, reviving Junk Warrior as a level four, then tuning it with Hyper Synchron, the machine having a nifty bonus ability.

"Wait, four plus four equals…" Yanagi began.

"Eight!" Leo, Dexter, Kione, Emma and Marcus all cheered.

"Clustering Wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight! Stardust Dragon!" Marcus grinned, now getting to see the dragon in person.

Hyper Synchron boosted Stardust as well since it was a Dragon Synchro monster.

Stardust Dragon – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (2500/2000).

Stardust Dragon – (3300/2000).

Marcus felt his hand pulse as the two dragons faced off. "Rgh…" He grit his teeth, that was a big pulse.

From his infirmary bed, Daiki stared at the glow on his hand, _it's coming…_ He thought.

Yusei tried to attack RDA, but Jack had none of it, countering with Tuner Capture and Tuner's Mind, first capturing Hyper Synchron for his field, then the second trap, which split up Red Dragon Archfiend, but then protecting Twin Sword Maurader with it's second effect, causing Dark Tinker to take the fall.

Jack did take five hundred damage from Synchro Blast though.

* * *

 **Y: 1900 SC: 4  
J: 2300 SC: 4**

* * *

Jack started his next turn, putting both duellists on five counters. Jack then wasted no time in bringing Red Dragon Archfiend back out, now with Hyper Synchron's boost applied to it as well.

"Well, this could get boring…" Marcus pointed out.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Luna asked.

"A monster summoned with Hyper Synchron cannot be destroyed in battle, those two out there are invincible," Sarah answered from the lower row.

Yusei took more damage, both from battle, then from a trap of Jack's, which blasted Yusei with another chunk of five hundred.

* * *

 **Y: 900 SC: 5  
J: 2300 SC: 5**

* * *

"This is bad… Yusei is below 1000 points!" Emma muttered.

"Uh guys?" Kione pointed up. "Is red lightning normal?!"

The red lightning arced through the stadium, and slowly formed into a long serpentine dragon that was almost as long as the Memorial Circuit was.

The mighty red dragon had arrived, a roar that echoed in the air was let loose.

Marcus gasped. "No way…" He muttered. It put Star Eater to shame. His hand singed, and he bit back a grunt. "What the… it's getting more painful," He mumbled.

Emma, Kione and Sarah were also gripping their hands, and Luna held a hand over her right arm.

Suddenly, an even more powerful pulse burst through each of them, causing all to wince at the searing feeling.

The Crimson Dragon then roared, winds kicking up in the stadium and causing everyone to cover up. The dragon then seemed to swallow up Jack, Yusei and their dragons, and Luna, Akiza, Marcus, Emma, Sarah, and Kione all felt a light overtake them.

* * *

From his hospital bed, Daiki grit his teeth as a light flashed from his hand.

* * *

When they could see again, everyone gasped, "Where'd the Stadium go?" Kione was first to ask from a bright blue sphere.

"I dunno, but look, we aren't alone!" Sarah pointed from her green sphere down to Yusei and Jack, who were riding on their runners, along a path of light.

"This is a vision… given by the Crimson Dragon," Daiki muttered, a white sphere around him.

Emma felt a little woozy, feeling so weightless, her red sphere the same colour as Akiza and Luna, who were right beside them.

Marcus gasped from his gold sphere, as they approached a large stone temple, with six stars above. One big red one, then five smaller ones, one red, one blue, one gold, one green, one white.

"That's right, Goodwin told me about this place… it's a shrine to the Crimson Dragon, and home to the myth about five warriors who were so secretive in legend," Jack muttered.

"Jack, they're all signers!" Yusei called out, "And look, the Star Guardians!" He said, noticing the five individuals around the building that were holding up their right hands, where five coloured star marks were glowing.

"They're like us, and them," Jack realised.

The path of light continued after the temple, and a large landmass was seen below. "Down there looks a lot like Neo Domino and the Satellite!" Sarah gasped.

"Luna… isn't that a giant spider surrounding Neo Domino City?" Akiza added. Suddenly, violet flames ripped through the streets.

"What's happening?" Luna asked, concerned.

"It has to be the future…" Daiki spoke up. "This must be the prophecy that the darkness follow. As the Signers and Star Guardians, it is up to us to stop this madness before it can take effect."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Marcus asked him.

"I don't know…" Daiki sighed.

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn!" Jack suddenly spoke up.

Yusei then drew his card, "You're nuts!" He growled.

* * *

 **Y: 900 SC: 6  
J: 2300 SC: 6**

* * *

"I activate the spell called Silver Contrails, with this, I can raise the attack power of a WIND type monster on my field by 1000! And guess what my mighty beast is!" Yusei played the card he just drew.

Stardust Dragon – WIND/Dragon – Lvl 8 – (4300/2000).

"Stardust, attack Red Dragon Archfiend, Cosmic Flare!" He called out, another laser blast hitting Jack's dragon, dropping Jack's points again, only this time, Jack cried out as the attack hit him.

* * *

 **Y: 900 SC: 6  
J: 1800 SC: 6**

* * *

"And don't forget Synchro Blast!" Yusei added. Again, Jack cried out.

* * *

 **Y: 900 SC: 6  
J: 1300 SC: 6**

* * *

"Something's wrong…" Marcus noticed, "It's like psychic powers…"

"Those two are being affected for real… The Crimson Dragon is playing for keeps. It is determining whether Jack and Yusei are ready to face the darkness," Daiki said.

"I set three face-downs and end my turn," Yusei said, emptying his hand.

"Whoa… Yusei's making his final assault," Marcus muttered.

Jack drew his card.

* * *

 **Y: 900 SC: 7  
J: 1300 SC: 7  
**

* * *

"Here we go! I can't slay your dragon, but I can still take out your lifepoints! Go, Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack!" Jack commanded.

Stardust was punched in the gut by Dragon Archfiend, and Yusei then grunted in pain.

* * *

 **Y: 400 SC: 7  
J: 1300 SC: 7**

* * *

"Yusei!" Emma and Luna both yelped.

"He's really hurt! It's just like when me and Daiki duel!" Akiza gasped

"As I thought, the Crimson Dragon is playing for keeps, but I don't think that we're going home until one of them runs out of lifepoints," Daiki muttered.

"I play my trap, Crossline Counter!" Yusei called out, "If I take battle damage from you during your turn, I double it, then add it as attack points, plus my dragon can now return fire!" He explained.

"Nice, this will even the odds a little bit," Sarah said.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Kione muttered.

A white comet of power shot at RDA, and Jack struggled to control his runner as he was hit.

* * *

 **Y: 400 SC: 7  
J: 800 SC: 7**

* * *

"Jack!" Yusei called out with worry as his rival regained control.

"Don't worry about me, you should worry about yourself, I play the Speed Spell – Overboost! This gives me four extra speed counters, nearly maxing me out!"

* * *

 **J SC: 11**

* * *

"Uh oh… I recognise this combo…" Emma said. "And if this is the same, then his next move will be…"

"I play the Speed Spell – End of the Storm!" Jack called out, causing heavy winds to thrash about around the two riders.

"What does End of the Storm do again?" Luna asked.

"It destroys all monsters on the field, then both players take damage equal to the number of monsters times 300!" Sarah said. "If this goes through, Yusei's done!"

"I activate Stardust Dragon's effect! By tributing it, I can negate End of the Storm!" Yusei called.

"Checkmate," Jack chuckled, "I play a trap! Sneak Exploder! Now, at the start of your turn, you'll take five hundred points of damage for every monster on my field, and with one, that's all I need!"

"If Yusei doesn't stop that trap, it's game over!" Marcus called out.

"Then I'd better keep this round going! I activate the second part of Stardust's effect, and return him to the field!" Yusei said, his mighty dragon returning. "Then I'll play Meteor Stream! This deals a thousand points of damage when I summon a monster that was sacrificed this turn!"

"Too predictable!" Jack laughed. "I'm about to reveal just why I'm the champ, Jack Atlas is destined for great things, while you're destined for defeat. I play Crimson Fire!"

Marcus swore under his breath, "That blocks Yusei's damage, then slings it back, at double the original amount!"

Jack said the same to Yusei, and Red Dragon Archfiend let out a mighty stream of dark fire.

"Incoming!" Emma, Kione and Luna called out.

"I don't plan on losing, which is why I activate Shining Silver Force! This douses your flame, then destroys all the spells and traps on your field!" Yusei said.

A barrier blocked Jack's counter, then Yusei's counter wiped out Jack's backrow, including Sneak Exploder.

"Can it please be Yusei's turn now? That was three traps in chain then!" Sarah called out, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Too close," Marcus sighed with relief.

"I never was one to give up Jack. And with your speed counters about to run out of gas, I don't plan on starting today!"

* * *

 **J SC: 1**

* * *

Yusei shot ahead, with Jack now struggling to keep up. "Time to get us home!" Yusei called out.

* * *

 **Y: 400 SC: 8  
J: 800 SC: 2**

* * *

"It's over!" Yusei said, turning and shooting towards Jack. "I play my Speed Spell – Final Attack! And since I have eight or more Speed counters, it doubles my Stardust Dragon's attack points!"

Stardust Dragon – (5000/2000)

"I don't want to hurt you Jack, but if beating you is the only way to get home, then I gotta attack! Stardust Dragon! Take out his lifepoints!" Yusei called out.

One final Cosmic Flare from Stardust, and Jack's cries echoed through the void, even as the world faded around them.

Marcus was first to look down at the track, and saw Jack get thrown from his runner, while Yusei skidded to a rough halt.

"Jack! Yusei!" He ran to the front row and watched with worry, Sarah and Kione were right behind him.

"You ok?" Yusei asked.

Jack mumbled something, clearly weak, blood trickling from his forehead. Yusei then got up, looking around the stadium.

Marcus gripped the railing. _What was that we saw? The temple, the spider, and the destruction... what in the world was that... and how can we stop it?_

* * *

 **Marcus: HAHAHA! I am alive!**

 **Sarah: Welcome back, how's work?**

 **Marcus: Oh you know, long shifts, customers that don't know how to turn on a TV, the usual.**

 **Emma: He's not wrong, but with his birthday around the corner coming on Monday, he'll be a full man.**

 **Marcus: Yep, it's my birthday on the fourth, and I'll try and get another chapter done on one of my stories by the end of next week, maybe the one after at the latest.**

 **All: Next Time: Prepare for War!**


	19. Chapter 19: Preparing for War

**I find myself proud that the chapters are coming out at a steadier rate, despite work. However, something else is now on my mind.**

 ***Pokemon Sword and Shield are announced* Hello homeland in Pokemon form!**

 **So, I hope this chapter doesn't get too confusing with the POV switches sometimes, but hopefully, it makes sense.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Prepare for War**

 **Title Song: Thrawn's Web (Star Wars Rebels OST)**

* * *

"Yusei!" Marcus, Leo and Tanner called, rushing out of the pits to catch the man staring around at the crowds.

Tanner rushed towards Yusei's runner, while Marcus and Leo joined Yusei. "Hey guys, everyone ok?" Asked the raven-haired duellist.

"We're fine for now, but there's a mob of media wanting your mug on their papers, better move it!" Marcus snarked, pointing at the fenced off enclosure of reporters and journalists.

Suddenly, the fence was pushed over, "Stampede!" Leo called out, causing all three to flinch.

"Better rev it up," Tanner called, wheeling Yusei's runner towards the garage.

"Coming!" Yusei called back, with Marcus and Leo in tow.

They met Sarah and Kione at the entrance to a tunnel, and also there, resting against the Black Spirit was Daiki.

"Hey, should you be up yet?" Marcus asked the psychic.

"Not really, but nothing a little Blue Medicine won't fix," Daiki smiled, holding up the card.

"Luna, Dexter and Gramps are waiting inside," Sarah said.

"Then we'd better get going," Yusei confirmed.

* * *

All the group walked into the underground passage, "Hey spikes, how'd you know about this old tunnel?" Sarah asked.

"A guy like me knows these things, that… and Blister told me," Tanner shrugged, still wheeling Yusei's runner.

"Cool," Dexter chuckled.

"I have no idea what was in that light, but I'm glad you won that tournament," Yanagi sighed with relief.

"It doesn't really matter who won. That vision that we Star Guardians and you guys saw is the future, if we don't rise up to stop it I mean," Daiki said.

"What are Star Guardians anyway?" Kione asked, looking at a dimmed star on her hand. "I assume it's got something to do with that dragon we saw back in the arena."

"You assume correct missy," Yanagi nodded. "I know about them even less than the Signers, but I believe they have the power to give the Crimson Dragon, and those imbued with it's power, incredible abilities. I'd need to fish out my old research and ancient texts, I believe one of them showed a mark that looked like that star."

"Anyway, forget the tournament, it was a sham. A setup by Goodwin." Tanner said, "For now, we should lay low until we figure out the whole story, we're heading back to Blister's place, Leo and Luna, you two should come too."

Daiki spoke up. "No need to cram all our assets into one building, the darkness could easily attack and take us _all_ out. No. Star Guardians, we'll head to my workshop. It's not far from Duel Academy, so Marcus and Emma, you can head back there, just be careful, they might target you there."

"Sounds like we have a gameplan, Tanner, Yanagi, here's my contact details, Emma's too," Marcus said, pulling out his phone.

"I'll take them on a card, but for now, let's just get out of here," Tanner said.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the otherside of the city, in a massive hole in the ground in the middle of the Satellite, a candlelit table was occupied by five cloaked figures.

"So… Goodwin has gathered his precious signers, as well as all the Star Guardians… I think it's time we let our presence known…" The first to speak was a man in a robe with red trims, with dark skin.

Two men chuckled with him, the first man, a younger person was sitting on a bench with one foot up wore a robe with blue trims, while another, a burly man had yellow.

"That maybe the best option, but how will we make our move? Fate is a tricky thing you know," A young woman's voice rang out. "You had better be sure you know what to do, or these Star Guardians could foil your plans completely." She wore a black robe, like the men, and had blue lines like the young man's had.

"Oh don't worry, I know how to get their attention, we'll target two from each of their affiliations first, but maybe one of you Immortal Servants would like to lead the charge?"

"Don't worry, I have a score to settle with one of them myself. He broke my heart once… I think it's time to break his!" The woman gave an eerie giggle.

"Sister… are you sure you want to reveal yourself so soon?" The blue robed man asked.

"Oh, don't worry about me dear brother, as the old saying goes, all is fair in love and war," She smirked.

"If you ask me, we should swarm them all and swallow them in shadows," A fifth person, with yellow trimmed black robes. "Job done, the world is ours to reform."

"No. We will play this carefully," The first speaker said. His hand reached out, and three large spiders formed in his hand. "It's time to lower the curtain of darkness on Domino City. Like the great bard said, 'What a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive'."

The three spiders cast a web, heading into the chandelier above them. "The dawn of the spider has come, and soon, it shall cloak this world in darkness."

As the spiders vanished, the woman did too, drifting off into the shadows without another word.

* * *

"Welcome home," Daiki said, unlocking a garage door and lifting it up. Inside, there was a surprise, a basic frame of a duel runner was stationed to the side. "Sorry about the mess, but she's been a bit temperamental," He sighed, pointing to the runner.

"I can have a look if you want," Kione said.

"I'm also taking advanced duel runner mechanics at Duel Academy, maybe I could help too," Marcus offered.

"Sounds like a plan, but after some dinner huh?" Daiki asked.

"Dinner sounds good, I'll order some takeout, any requests?" Marcus asked, pulling out his phone.

"I've come to like Chinese," Sarah shrugged.

"I prefer Indian, but Chinese works," Daiki muttered.

"Chinese it is then," Marcus said, and took down their orders before stepping outside to make the order.

"He leads by example, doesn't he?" Sarah asked Emma, when he was out of ear range.

"He does that a lot, but since Mom and Dad live in Tokyo, he's the only role model I have really," Emma shrugged.

"Fair enough," Kione said, examining the Black Spirit.

"I guess we just gotta cope with the fact we're heading into dark times now," Daiki sighed, pulling out an old laptop and hooking it up to his own runner. "Damn CPU! Keeps rejecting the engine so I can't put it in gear!" He groaned.

"Let me have a look," Sarah said.

Marcus came back in, "They'll be in thirty minutes or it's free," he said with a chuckle. He then pulled out his deck and a binder, pulling up a small table and spreading out his deck.

"I thought about something, if we're going to be a team of some kind, we might want to examine each other's decks, so we don't end up walking in blind to a tag duel by mistake," He said.

"Well, like I said, I'd love to play that Ice Barrier deck again," Daiki chuckled, pulling out his own deck.

* * *

That night, all were asleep, except two people, Marcus, who was worried about his sister's safety, and Kione, who was working on the Black Spirit.

The two therefore were working together when their marks lit up, stinging.

"Argh…!" Marcus muttered. "Why does this feeling remind me of a warning?" He asked.

"That's what I got too," Kione said, looking at her own blue hand, then Marcus' gold one. "I think we should check it out."

Marcus opened the garage door, and looked outside, a pair of cloaked figures stood there, one with blue trims, one with grey trims. "Well well well… just who I wanted to see." The one in black and blue smiled. She turned to the other man, "You handle the girl, the boy is mine," She giggled, "Come and get me hero!" She laughed, before running off.

"Hey! Get back here!" Marcus called out. As he ran after the woman, Kione closed the garage door, and stepped into the street.

"What about you? Are you gonna run? Or are you gonna talk?" She asked.

"I am a Drone of the darkness, I am here to swallow you in shadows and extinguish your light. Let's duel, Star Guardian," The man said.

"A duel? Are you sure you want to do that?" She said, but activated her duel disk either way. The man just chuckled, activating a standard model duel disk. A purple ring of flames then began to surround them both, trapping them in. "What the…! Where did that come from?" She asked.

The drone raised his arm, which had a glowing spider mark, the same colour as the ring. "I see… you must be behind this magic. Then I got no choice," Kione said.

"Let's duel!" They both called out.

* * *

 **K: 4000  
D: 4000**

* * *

"Ladies first, I'll activate Medalion of the Ice Barrier, this lets me search my deck and add an Ice Barrier monster to my hand. The monster I choose is my Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier, next, I'll set this monster, as well as a facedown card."

The drone took his card and smirked, "I summon Ancient Gear Soldier in attack mode!" He called, a rusty metal robot appeared with a grenade launcher on it's right arm.

Ancient Gear Soldier – EARTH/Machine – LVL 4 – (1300/1300).

"Ancient Gear Soldier, blast her face-down monster!" He called out. His monster took aim, firing three grenades at the monster, which was revealed to be Reese the Ice Mistress, a woman wearing blue armour and a gold paldron. In her arms was a cannon that she held defensively.

Reese the Ice Mistress – WATER/Sea Serpent – LVL 2 – (800/800).

"Nice try, Reese can't be destroyed by a monster that's level 4 or higher!" Kione said. The grenades were shot by three ice shards, exploding mid attack.

Kione then realised something odd, there were three mid-sized craters between her and her opponent. "Wait… was his attack real? It must be like when Akiza and Daiki duel… be careful Kione…" She muttered to herself.

* * *

Marcus sprinted after the woman, who leapt the gate into Duel Academy's grounds. He followed her until they ended up in the main duel field. This was where they held the exhibition duels and school duels, as well as graduating duellists final matches.

"This will do perfectly," She said, and activated her duel disk.

"Perfectly for what?" Marcus asked, activating his own duel disk, "A beat down from the Ace of this academy?" He asked.

"No. A trip down memory lane," She raised her arm, which had a strange purple mark, which looked like an oddly shaped man. She did so, and Marcus' golden star activated. He then noticed purple fire surround the arena.

"Alright then. Let's duel," She said.

 _What is that barrier? Who is she? She seems to know me…_

"Ok then, DUEL!" Marcus called back.

* * *

 **?: 4000  
M: 4000**

* * *

"I draw," The woman smiled, "I activate the spell called Second Coin Toss, now, when I don't like the outcome of a coin toss related effect, I can get a do over."

"I then summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool," She said. What came from her card was a strange jester of some kind, who's hair reminded Marcus of Medusa, with it curling up, down, and all over the place. It wore black clothing with purple diagonal stripes.

Arcana Force 0 – The Fool – LIGHT/Fairy – LVL 1 – (0/0).

A giant version of the card then appeared above the monster, and began to spin rapidly.

"Now for The Fool's effect-" The woman started.

"I know what it does. The card spins until it stops, and if it's above the halfway mark, then it can't be targeted by your effects, negates and then destroys them. But, if it's upside down, then I can't target it with any effects, and on top of that, it's invulnerable in battle," Marcus said. "Trust me… that used to be one of my friend's cards."

"I see, was this friend close to you?" She asked.

"She was. Closer than you think," Marcus said.

At that moment, the card stopped spinning, upside down. "Damn it…" Marcus muttered.

"I set one card face down and end my turn," the woman said.

"Right, now for my turn!" Marcus said. _She uses an Arcana deck, just like_ she _did back in the day. Damn it… I hope I can do this._ "I summon Dragon Knight of Creation in attack mode!" He called out.

Dragon Knight of Creation – LIGHT/Dragon – LVL 4 – (1800/800)

"See, the Fool is a good card, but it leaves you wide open! Dragon Knight, get in there and cut down her lifepoints!" Marcus commanded.

"Stop right there, I activate the trap Defence Draw, I take no damage from this battle and can draw a card," The woman said. All that happened was that Dragon Knight's sword slammed into The Fool, and leapt back to Marcus' field.

 _It's the same combo as_ she _used…_ Marcus thought. "I'll set these and end my turn." He set two cards behind his monster.

"Good, now the real fight can begin, and your demise can get closer!" The woman laughed. She drew her card and smirked. "Get ready, Marcus Cersy, because I plan on making you feel regret and pain!"

* * *

Kione drew her card after the drone set a pair of face-downs and ended his turn.

"Time for my next trick! I summon Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier!" She called. The monster that appeared looked a lot like she did back during the Fortune Cup, a young woman wearing a form fitting dark red shirt with black sleeves, a purple scarf, black snow pants and white high boots. She had white gloves on her hands, and she had done her hair the same too, tied up with the Ice Barrier symbol on both sides. On her hands seemed to be two spinning snowflake weapons.

Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier – WATER/Spellcaster – LVL 4 – (1700/900).

"I'll then play the magic of Double Summon, I don't think this card needs explaining, but I get to summon again, so why not summon another friend of mine, Samurai of the Ice Barrier!" The next monster to appear was a man clad in icy blue samurai armour, holding an icy katana before him.

Samurai of the Ice Barrier – WATER/Warrior – LVL 4 – (1800/1500).

"Now I'll activate Dance Princess's effect, if I have another Ice Barrier on the field, I can reveal as many Ice Barrier monsters in my hand to destroy the same number of cards on yours. I have one Ice Barrier, so I'll get rid of this pain in the neck and take out that face-down!" Kione said.

Dance Princess tossed one of her weapons like a boomerang, it sliced through the Drone's facedown, before she caught it once again.

"Now I'll have Samurai of the Ice Barrier attack!" Kione ordered. Her monster slashed at Ancient Gear Soldier, ripping through the robot.

* * *

 **K: 4000  
D: 3500**

* * *

"First points are mine!" Kione grinned. "I now have Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier attack you directly!" She commanded.

The woman held both her weapons in front, then fired a snowy blast from each at the drone. But such a move was stopped as Drone played a card.

"Not so fast! I play my continous trap, Ancient Gear Reborn! This trap can be played when I control no monsters, and I can summon back a not-so-old-friend, Ancient Gear Soldier!" The ground split open around his field, and out came Ancient Gear Soldier. "The monster revived then gains 200 attack points!"

Ancient Gear Soldier – EARTH/Machine – LVL 4 – (1300/1300).

Ancient Gear Soldier – (1500/1300)

Drone said. "Then I play trap number 2! Ancient Gear Spark Shot! When 1 ancient gear monster is summoned to my field from the grave when I had no monsters before, this trap deals out half that monster's attack points! Ancient Gear Soldier had 1300 points, so enjoy 750 points of damage!"

"What?!" Kione asked, then yelled out as a large spark of blue lightning lanced through her.

* * *

 **K: 3250  
D: 3500**

* * *

 _That pain… this isn't psychic power, this is like what happened with Jack and Yusei and the final! All damage is real!_ Kione gasped.

"And now you see the true power of the shadows! It won't be long before we swallow your light for good!" The drone grinned.

* * *

The woman drew her card. "I now choose to summon Arcana Force I – The Magician in attack mode," She called out.

The monster that appeared looked like an armoured version of The Fool, with a silver helmet, arms, legs and chest piece.

Arcana Force I – The Magician – LIGHT/Fairy – LVL 4 – (1100/1100).

Like with Arcana Force 0, this monster had a giant card above it, which began to spin.

"Ok then Marcus, what's this one's effect?" She asked.

"Heads, if you activate a spell, it's attack is doubled, tails, when a spell is played, I gain 500 lifepoints," Marcus said.

"Well done, let's see where it lands," The woman nodded. The card landed upside down. "Oh dear, I see fate is trying to be fair, but I'll throw a wrench into the works, or yet a second coin toss!" She smiled. The card spun again, and this time landed right-side up. "Excellent, I like it when destiny is on my side."

Marcus growled, but the woman was not done yet, "Now I activate the spell called Cup of Ace! The outcome of this one does not matter, but if it's face up, I draw two cards, face-down, you draw two cards."

This card landed face-down, and Marcus expected she would coin toss, but instead, she moved to battle. "Second coin toss only can work once a turn, but I don't care about the cards, you can have them, all I want is the attack boost!" The woman said, as Marcus drew the cards from Cup of Ace.

Arcana Force I – The Magician – (2200/1100).

"Arcana Force I, attack Marcus' Dragon Knight of Creation!" She called out. Marcus yelled out with agony as a magical blast struck Marcus' monster, and the splash of the blast hit him.

* * *

 **?: 4000  
M: 3600**

* * *

"What was that?" He asked. "That attack really hurt me!"

"I told you Marcus, before the end of this duel, I would make you feel regret, then pain, lots of it!" The woman said, she then reached up, and removed her hood, making Marcus' eyes widen in pure shock.

"What the…" He mumbled, staring at a young woman, around his age, with soft black hair that fell to her mid-back. Her sclera was black, with yellow piercing eyes glaring straight at him. She was wearing a black sleeveless top with blue trimming, a black miniskirt, and royal blue boots.

Marcus' mind instantly flashed back to a girl that he met during his days of Obelisk Blue, where he met the one student he didn't want to cause grief to. A girl with black hair, soft green eyes and wearing a yellow blazer and black skirt. The girl gave a giggle and a smile before Marcus was brought back to the present.

With his voice shaking, he struggled to speak, but when he did, it was one word.

"H… Hikari?"

* * *

 **Marcus: What is she doing here?**

 **Emma: Oh dear... Marcus' is about to have a huge fight on his hands, and Kione isn't doing much better!  
**

 **Sarah: Hang on Sis!**

 **All: Next time: The Light of Ruin.**


End file.
